Her Beaten Path
by icequeenkitty
Summary: Before Darkwing, before madmen brought them together, before Mistress Macabre, there was just a girl. And her name was Morgana.AU
1. The Birth

Bit of an author's note:

This is set in my AU. It is a seperate story and won't ruin or spoil any of the others so if you haven't read those you probably will be okay to follow this. But, keep in mind that this _**is**_ AU, and that the characters are darker and more serious. If they weren't it wouldn't blend in with the main story arc now would they? 8) Okay. I'll shut up now.

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**-Chapter One-  
The Birth**

The day the child was born was just like any other to those unaware, but to those anticipating birth, it was a tense day. The sun was far from brilliant, the air was not a gale or laced with biting wind, and there were indeed clouds in the sky. So long had they wanted a child but were cursed by infertility and a devastating still birth. He still remembered the small creature that would never know the sensation of air passing in and out of it's lungs, never get to see the people who had hoped so hard for him. His son was buried for a year now. Even now as his wife was in labor he feverishly paced, full of doubt and sick with worry. The day a new Macabre came into the world had escaped him for so long, he was terrified something would go a miss.

Moloculo Macabre wanted nothing more than to give Ambrosia all she ever wanted and her heart craved a baby. A more wonderful and beautiful woman he'd never known. By some wonderful twist of fate she had become his, their child would know love like no other. The two finest magic users of their year at Eldritch Academy would certainly have an enormously gifted child. He stopped his preoccupied pacing to ponder the possibilities. Why, with their combined power, his son would become the greatest wizard the world had ever known! _**Or daughter**_, his mind corrected him, as he wrung his gaunt, green feathered hands together. The distant door opened and the nurse came slowly over to him. A sad slow march he had seen crush his dreams presented it self to him again. The look in her eyes, along with silence, told him more than words. A still birth again. Weakly, he sat before she had a chance to speak.

"Lord Macabre, I am terribly sorry…"

"Does Ambrosia know?"

"Yes, she asked to be alone with the baby girl…"

A girl, he had been robbed of a daughter this time. He put his head in his hands with a heartbroken sigh. She had been devastated by the first loss, now after he had foolishly assured her everything would be fine she had to endure the sadness again. He couldn't bear to think of her weeping the way she had; now it all would repeat itself in so short a time. A shrill noise tore through the castle and he was ripped from his thoughts to spring to his feet. An infant's cries sang on from the room beyond. He dashed across the hall, the nursemaid on his heels, and came upon the most beautiful sight. Ambrosia, weak and weary, held the wailing bundle in her arms with a loving smile. He felt his despair die as she raised her vibrant green eyes to him, her silken dark brown hair falling gently about her shoulders.

"Quiet now my darling,.." She cooed to the white feathered little duckling. "… and say hello to your Daddy."

He approached carefully, certain if he blinked or stumbled he'd be childless again. He knelt beside the bed and took in the little figure with his undead eyes. Under the gaze of his mismatched black eye and solid red eye, the shrieking stopped, a tiny hand swatted the air aiming for nothing.

"Here she is Moloculo…" Whispered the voice of the only woman he'd ever loved. "Our daughter has finally come to us."

The infant opened its new eyes only a crack but the emerald could not be ignored.

"She has your eyes my dear." He smiled.

She was a beautiful child, one not cursed with the Macabre's ghoulishness in appearance. He had no doubt she would grow to be as beautiful as her mother.

"A miracle has brought the child back." Proclaimed the nurse, her eyes soggy. "What will this wonder be called?"

He blinked; they had, of course, discussed names. Mildred was among their favorites for daughters, along with Willow and Circe. Looking at this little person now, it was clear that none of those names suited her. His mind drew a blank as he stared at the perfect little bundle; he had no name that was fitting.

"Morgana." Said a gentle voice. He looked at his wife who was smiling at their baby. "Morgana is her name, unless you can find fault with it darling." Ambrosia smiled at him. He ran a few fingers through her hair.

"Morgana Macabre she will be."

Had he not been so happy, he might have noticed the weakness in Ambrosia's eyes, the lingering strange magic that still hung in the air. However, these were undetected in the face of love.

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Moloculo Macabre and Morgana Macabre are © Disney  
Ambrosia is mine.  
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Well, here we have the beginning (the VERY beginning) of Morgana's backstory. I had hoped to post this around the same time as Trials of the Hero but that fic has **just **stopped being difficult and has allowed me to start writing it. (Hurrah!) So hopefully finding out about my AU Morgana will keep you interested long enough for me to get a good chunk of the main event written. Expect to see Chapter Two soon and thanks for reading!


	2. Never to See the Sky Again

Chapter Two  
Never to See the Sky Again

The joyous news of the Macabre heir traveled throughout the social ladders like wild fire. They were one of the oldest magical families, and among the most powerful in their society. There had been talks of the bloodline failing which would leave the Spellbinder or Vonkarumah names at the top, but now their legacy was secured for the time being. The months after her birth passed by with no complications as their daughter started to grow. However, he found that there was one problem he hadn't anticipated: He was reduced to a hopeless fool when it came to caring for the child. He had never dealt with such a small person before, never was briefed in the art of caring for an infant. Ambrosia had proven to be a patient teacher; he was instructed over and over in the many arts of caring for a baby: feeding, burping, diaper changing, and the most curious task of all… _baby talk_. He knew how to do all these strange things after a few days, but found it impossible to determine when the girl wanted what. So many times he'd been burping instead of babbling, and feeding instead of changing. Though she had been calm with him it finally caught up to her and Ambrosia's patience had spent itself. She rounded on him when he was holding a bottle in one hand and being pummeled by tiny fists.

"Moloculo!" She shouted, anger unmasked in her voice. "Why can't you just learn these simple things? I can't be here to do this all the time!"

"What the devil does she want? I am no mind reader! I think the child lives to berate me!" He fumed.

"Honestly, I don't know who's more helpless, you or Morgana." She snapped as she snatched the baby from him and slung her over her shoulder, patting the child's back soothingly.

He fought down his anger and bit back his temper. She had been excessively cross with him lately and this was the last straw. He was going to find out why.

"Ambrosia, I demand you tell me what's going on."

"Oh?" Her eyes flashed. "You demand it do you?" She frowned.

"As your husband I order you to tell me why you've snapped at me for everything thing I've done!"

"Because you've done it wrong! How can I…" She stopped herself suddenly and removed her eyes from him.

"How can you what?" He confronted her. Enough was enough, he was the master of this castle and she had to respect him.

"I'm sorry okay…" She said in defeat, her eyes not leaving the floor. "Can we please just move on?"

"No. You will tell me now." He flared sternly. His temper was regaled as the worst most had ever seen, but it was smothered when he saw a tear escape her moist eyes.

"I didn't want to tell you… you will be so angry with me… but I couldn't bare it." She breathed meekly.

"What have you done?" He was stunned. Ambrosia had always been such a strong woman, to see her like this… he couldn't help but stare. What caused this sadness? Had she been unfaithful to him? Had she been seduced by a young warlock? Was… was Morgana even his? The baby burped and Ambrosia slid her off her shoulder to cradle the content bundle in her arms. The way she looked at the child, tears spilling out of her eyes, he knew he wouldn't like what she had to tell him.

"She was dead." She stated sadly. "Morgana was another still birth…"

"But she's here now, that can't be…"

"Moloculo… I gave her my life. I brought her back by sacrificing myself, I couldn't loose another one."

"I… I don't…" He watched her eyes rise to him miserably.

"She'll live, she'll grow up and be able to live her own life… but I will die before she will be able to remember me."

"Where would you learn such a spell! Why would you do this?!" He knew if his heart was beating it would have broken, but he felt the pain all the same. Ambrosia placed her hand on his shoulder.

"You have given me so much, and I'm devastated that I have to leave you both so soon… but I had to. She's our child, she's our future. I've done all I've ever dreamed of and more since I've met you… I've lived my life."

"There must be a way to undo this…"

"No! Morgana would die!" Her pleading green eyes bore deep into him.

Lose his child or the woman he loved more than anything? That was his decision? Was there no way around it? He put his arm around her.

"There has to be a way."

She smiled weakly.

"You'll be fine. You'll be a wonderful father of that I'm sure. As long as you love her enough for both of us she'll never be wanting."

"How long…" He wasn't able to finish, how could he?

"Not too long, I suspect. I'll make it to her Succession Ritual, but not much longer…"

"That's only a few months away!"

"If I make it that long…"

"Ambrosia, I can't raise her without you… I can't be with out you."

She smiled and ran her porcelain hand through is black hair.

"Don't be silly, you're the mighty Moloculo Macabre, of course you can. I know she'll be the top of her class at the academy and the happiest girl in the world with you looking after her."

"I won't give up. I will find a way to save you, a way to keep you both here. I won't lose you."

The months moved by with the careless haste that rushes through the world when something horrible is to happen. He spent the majority of his days in the Academy's extensive library searching volume after thick volume to prevent the impending death of his beloved. In the time he spent away, Morgana was growing still and sprouting a head of black hair laced with white strips. She had begun crawling and Ambrosia had seen to the preparation of her talisman. A ruby necklace had been selected to serve as the containment for her magic, just like her mother's. He worked through day and night unwilling to deliver his wife to the fate that wanted to claim her. At times when he saw no hope he remembered when he had first seen her, so young, so misleading. She stood out amongst the ghoulish faces of Eldritch Academy, a delicate flower in a sea of thorns. Though she appeared to resemble a "normal" she practically radiated with her unmatched gift for spell casting. He was smitten after the first time her eyes had graciously spared their gaze for him… the pull of her eyes… the sound of her voice… the taste of her kiss… he would not be parted from them.

So often he would return to Macabre castle late, too tired to search anymore. She was usually asleep by the time he arrived; and he found her perfectly pale complexion giving into her weakness. The pale that haunted her now was nothing more than death's hand slowly stripping life from her. She had asked him to give up his search, to devote the rest of her time to being with them, but he would not hear it. He would save her.

By the time Morgana's Succession came, Ambrosia could barely stand on her own. The ceremony was the most important of a witch or warlock's life. When a true magic user is born, their magical source is released into the world where it finds its host to incubate in. A year after birth, when the magic is ripened, a small portion can be called back by a Grand Master Warlock, to be captured and sealed in a talisman. The talisman is then presented to the child for them to possess so that they can use their magic as they were intended too.

Ambrosia had been so happy that day, but he could not rejoice fully. He knew the price this day had cost. An extensive guest list had been sent and all came to witness the Macabre heir's Rite of Succession. The child had grown so quickly, her green eyes open and wide with wild curiosity, her striped hair growing in steadily. He still had not perfected the art of child care, he suspected he never would, but he had become more proficient in his diagnosis of the symptoms. One evening after the celebration he had come home from another late night at the library and found Ambrosia propped up in bed waiting for him.

"You should be resting." He reprimanded her.

"There'll be plenty of time for that soon enough."

"Don't talk like that. I'm going to save you. What good is magic if it can't save one life?" He said shortly.

"Please, I don't have the strength to bicker as we used to. I'm afraid the sport has been quite drained from me.." She sighed, the dark circles under her eyes making her look twice her true age.

"Ambrosia…"

"Moloculo, just come to bed. Let me look at you for a while."

He moved sadly through the darkness that had been creeping into his home with each passing day. As he climbed in to rest beside her, she placed her fragile head on his chest. Neither of them spoke, there was no need, all that could have been said had already been spoken. Instead, they fell into sleep holding each other like children lost in the woods.

It was a day like any other when he came home to find her gone. She was not in bed, or in the nursery. The governess he had hired to watch Morgana in his wife's illness informed him that the Mistress Macabre had gone for a walk. How she could walk was beyond him and he did not hesitate to reveal his fury for letting her go unattended. He searched the Castle grounds like a bat out of hell, furious and fearful. Along the edge of the land he found her scarf discarded among the branches of the gnarled trees. He took the soft fabric in his ghastly hands as his mismatched eyes fell on the nearest structure. The normal's village. Had the barbarians taken her? His rage fueled him as he broke the treaty that his ancestors had wrought and descended on the town like a storm. It did not take long for him to find where they had taken her. However by the time he found her it was too late. She was gone, dead. The normals felt the rage of a Macabre for the first time in sixty years that night. Had he not been consumed by his heartbroken fury he would have discovered that a normal had found her collapsed and brought her back to try to help her. They didn't know her illness was not to be cured by their primitive medicines.

He returned to the castle that night covered in blood and carrying the lifeless form of the one he loved dearer than himself. He looked like the creatures of old, animalistic and insane with grief and rage. The hatred of the normals rekindled in him as he was forced to bury the only person who had loved him for who he was and not the power his name let him inherit. The castle shook with his anguished howls and the villagers answered to his devastation with lives.

The funeral was on a dark day, the clouds crying for the world's greatest loss. He stood beside the open grave, the coffin ready to be lowered, Morgana quietly resting in his arms, and all the high members of society watching on sadly. No tears escaped him. No dry sobs, he stared on at the ritual blankly as their child pawed at his ebony cape, her green eyes looking for answers to questions she couldn't speak, things she could not comprehend. Those eyes were all that was left of Ambrosia in this world apart from the lifeless objects she left behind. He felt the days the Lord Macabre smiled were gone. Lost under six feet of soil and nailed in a thick prison of wood, never to see the sky again.

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Darkwing Duck and all related characters are © Disney  
The rest are mine.  
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Ehhhhhhhh Happy Valentine's Day? Heh. Nice and depressing update for you to counter all the lovey dovey stuff I guess. Poor Moloculo and Morgana. Things just keep getting bumpier from here. I'll try to keep the updates on this steady (though not every other day... I've had these two chapters sitting around all typed up for a while so that's why they're so close together.) Well, Happy Valentine's Day I guess, I've driven through nasty snow and skidded out of control a few times to spend mine at work, hopefully yours will be nicer.

XOXOXO

Kitty


	3. Father Knows Best

**Chapter Three**

**Father Knows Best**

Life went on regardless of the pain, his heartache lingered and time made his memories bittersweet and hazy. Moloculo found his time being most spent divided in working with the council or in his study. Among its book lined walls and ash stained fire place he could forget Ambrosia wasn't just in the other room. The portrait she'd sat for hung above the black marble mantle, her gentle smile and deep eyes were only a shadow in oil paint of their true beauty. In the right light it was almost like she was sitting in the same room, only his mind wouldn't humor the trick of his eyes. He never felt so alone in his entire life as he did in the days after her passing. He'd hired a governess to care for Morgana because he knew early on he'd be of no use to her.

Even without his sole supervision the girl was growing as all children do: quickly and carelessly. The governess would give him daily reports of what she'd done the moment he set foot in the castle. She'd inform him of the progression of her crawling, walking, and formation of words as he'd hang up his traveling cloak. The joy he had of such things he knew was only a fraction of what he should have felt. He would spend the evenings with the girl, her half understandable gibberish amusing him less than was acceptable of a single parent. He tried to be her father, tried to give her what she wanted. He tried to be supportive of her every whim but, her eyes only reminded him of his lost dreams and stolen time. He would retreat to his work to escape those eyes, his conscious damning him. His pain was just too deep to heal so soon. He loved his daughter, he knew that but, it was just too complicated to express the sadness just the sight of her brought him.

The young tender years of her life passed slowly. Moloculo found himself having to accommodate a small girl with endless questions and a terrible sense of grammar. The governess reminded him that children aren't brought into the world with the ability of fluent speech. That he should treasure the extra "w"s and incorrect phrasing of her words for they would be gone before he had the inclination to become attached to them. She was of course correct. He did notice them phase out of her speech little by little. Though he never admitted it, he found he missed them when they'd gone. The time the girl would start school suddenly approached and he felt a spark of hope reignite in his dead heart. It was time to set her out to prove herself, prove that the Macabres were still the strongest bloodline in the community. The thought he'd had moments before she was born returned to him with new confidence, by the combination of Ambrosia and himself she would know no equal in her magical ability. There was no doubt in his mind that she would be top of her class from the first five minutes of her first lesson. He arranged for her to attend Eldritch Academy as her primary school and when she'd matured he was sure the joined University would offer her all they had. He felt a smile on his face thinking of his old Dean, Specter McHex, receiving Morgana into the University with the highest honors. But first thing was first, he reminded himself, she had to impress Headmaster Greytalon at the Academy for years before she graduated onto college life. His plans for her future were set, which was what made reality so much of an unforeseen shock.

The first week of school was not filled with praise, nor letters home speaking of her brilliance. This perplexed him. Perhaps they were too in awe to have found the right words yet? It was only after the second week that he noticed how his daughter would act when she arrived home from the academy everyday. She would walk into the castle, her six-year-old hair in braids, her uniform pristine, the ruby amulet around her neck, and intense sadness in her eyes. When he finally asked her why she looked so upset she would run up to her room and close the door. His imagination warped it into enthusiasm to continue her studies until one afternoon his ears picked up her devastated sobbing. When he entered her large room he tried to stop her hysterics to no avail. He never was a very comforting person; it was completely out of his idiom. She assured him it was nothing and asked him not to worry. Her eyes were home to something he'd never seen in them before, she was afraid. Perturbed by her behavior he arranged a private meeting with Greytalon for the next morning to discover what had caused her this distress. The news he would receive there was altogether devastating.

The headmaster's office was exactly what one would expect from the head of a ghoulish school. His shelves were lined with hex books and bottled ingredients. There were photos covered in appropriate layers of dust according to their age. His prize students or special ghouls who had made an impression on the old bird had earned a place of infamy on the walls. He found himself among the captured faces immediately. It was a respectable office indeed, as was the ghoul who inhabited it. He was short in stature, (though almost everyone paled in comparison to Moloculo's daunting height) had a wrinkled face to accent his silver hair, and a dust color to his plumage. His eyes were a dim yellow and his appearance was enhanced with the fangs he sported. Despite his appearance, Moloculo had known only a select few with a kinder heart. But when Moloculo entered the office the headmaster looked pained as he motioned him to sit.

"Ah, Lord Macabre…" he started with a sigh, "…on time as usual."

"I will cut to the chase here headmaster…" he said shortly as he took the offered seat.

"And as pushy as ever…" Greytalon said lightly as he shook his head gently. Moloculo pretended not to hear him.

"Why has my daughter come home in tears everyday from this academy?"

"Oh my, she has? Poor thing…" the old ghoul said sadly. He took a strengthening breath and folded his hands. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that but, I'm afraid it can't be helped." Moloculo felt his face twist in rage but the headmaster held up a sympathetic hand. "Moloculo my boy, I hate to be the one to tell you this but, little Morgana has no talent for witchcraft."

Moloculo waited for the old fool to apologize for this joke made in such bad taste. The headmaster's eyes softened into pity.

"I'm afraid it's true. She can of course cast spells but her magic is so weak the result is far different from what they were intended to conjure."

"You've made a mistake. This can't be."

"It can and it is. Sometimes it happens that two tremendously talented magic users will produce an ungifted ghoul…"

"No it does not!" Moloculo fumed as he slammed his fist on the desk before him, papers crunching under his fury.

"Yes it does, and though I had hoped she'd just been nervous at first, it seems to be the case here. "

"This does _not_ happen! _Not to Macabres_!" He rose from his chair, anger consuming him.

"Your family heritage has nothing to do with what your daughter lacks, and she lacks strength! Her mystical source must be terribly restricted, it _has_ happened in the past and it's never an easy pill to swallow. I would recommend taking her out of the school… she has already been persecuted enough. She's a sweet girl and she doesn't deserve…"

"No. She stays. I will not have my daughter cast out of…"

"Moloculo, she is struggling. She wants to do well. Hades knows she is terrified of you being ashamed of her and tries so hard. Sadly it's not a decision anyone can make, if I could I would gladly grant her the gifts she desires…"

"Then she will struggle." Moloculo flared sternly. "Or would you deny the Macabre heir her education?"

"I will not. I just hope that you are looking out for _her_ best interests and _not_ your own." Frowned the headmaster.

"I know what is best for my daughter." He said with finality as he slammed the door on his way out.

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Darkwing Duck and all related characters are © Disney  
The rest are mine.  
------------------------------

Aye, yai, yai, behold the legendary Macabre temper. This story seems to be full of short chapters… sorry about that. I'm nearing its completion in written form so I'll try to keep the updates on this regular. Thanks as always for reading and BIG MONDO THANKS for reviewing. ;P


	4. Making Friends

**Chapter Four**

**Making Friends**

Her father's mind made up, Morgana continued to attend classes at the Eldritch Academy. For two years she would leave the confines of her home to come home in her familiar sad state. It wasn't surprising that she tried her best to not attend classes by faking illness, or other such methods children are prone to using. But Moloculo refused to give in, he knew it was a mistake. Fate could not be so cruel as to deny the only hope he had left, the only hope she had for the life she was supposed to live. She did terribly in all her classes, her practical exams were routinely failed, but she still passed with average grades. He knew that her professors would not dare to fail her in their courses in fear of upsetting him. They were wise in doing so, but Morgana suffered greatly for it.

She was terribly isolated. The other students didn't sit with her; they only spoke to her when they couldn't avoid it. Parents didn't want their children cavorting with the daughter of a ruthless killer, but no one told her that. She didn't know why they were cold to her, why her teachers passed her for no reason as they frowned at her. She had no one to confide in, no friends to turn to. On top of her loneliness her father expected so much of her; it wasn't in the least bit fair. She was not a good witch; she was terrible no matter how hard she tried. When asked to make bubbles she produced brown slime, when instructed to conjure lady bugs: brown slime. Marbles, quills, leaves: Slime, slime, slime. It was frustrating to say the least. She could see it in her head, knew what it ought to look like but somewhere between her head and her hands it would all turn so fabulously wrong. Why couldn't she just do what the other children could? Why did he she have to disappoint everyone? Why did she have to keep failing with flying colors only to be dragged onto the next course to repeat the process of humiliation?

One day in her conjuring class the teacher had taught them how to form familiars. The other girls had been all a twitter with what they were going to call. When fantastic beasts like dragons or phoenixes were denied by the teacher they settled for dogs or cats. All except Tanya Spellbinder. Tanya was the daughter of a high ranking old blood family, they were second only in their illustrious heritage to the Macabres. She was everything a socialite's daughter should be. She was lovely, her stark white hair stood up frighteningly high with little effort, her eyes were deep blood red and small canine like fangs over hung her bill. To only add to her appropriate appearance she was always drowned in beautiful clothing from the best boutiques in Transylvania. Of course, she was also the best witch in the class, the teachers referred to her as 'the magical wonder'. She also had the other girls at her heels, trying to win their way into her good graces. Tanya had more friends than anyone in the whole school. Morgana wasn't one of them. So it was only natural that the magnificent Tanya would go out of the normal difficulty level in familiars and she chose something more complicated. She announced that she was going to conjure a grey wolf with purple eyes, she even drew a picture of what it would look like. Morgana caught a glimpse of the paper as it was passed around by Tanya's eager entourage. She was even a good artist. Morgana's spirits sagged, she knew she'd never do anything as grand as all that. What she had planned for herself was one of the most basic creatures. Her instructor even sighed to himself in relief when she told him her intention, the rest of the class just rolled their eyes or glared at her.

She had been practicing the incantation for days now, she had it memorized. The test started and she glanced around as her classmates drew forth their new companions. She rolled up her sleeves, fought down her anxiety and said each syllable carefully. As a result an odd brownish glob appeared on the table before her and her heart sunk. How could it be? How could all that work only result in more brown slime? It wasn't fair, she'd said everything perfectly, done the hand movements exactly like she'd been taught! She felt the tears well up in her eyes and she covered them with her hands quickly trying to bottle them up. They always laughed at her harder when she cried. There was an odd grumbling noise that made her peek through her fingers. The mound quivered and mumbled again as it shifted, eight long legs stretching out from underneath it. Her tears vanished and she clapped her hands over her mouth excitedly as two yellow eyes cracked open and locked on her. The bug rose from the desk and grumbled again, this time she heard the words beneath it. It said:_ "Hello Morgana"._

Morgana could barely believe it, and she had to hold her breath to keep from squealing. Apparently someone else didn't have that kind of control as shriek came from a girl holding a soft black cat.

"What is that!?" She cried as she pointed at Morgana's creation in disgust.

"It's my spider." Morgana scooped the creature into her hand protectively as the instructor came over. He glanced at it down his long snout and scowled.

"A spider? Hardly. Look at it. It's far too odd to pass for a spider. Why it has a mop of hair on it's head, and it only has two eyes." The spider said something underhanded about her instructor and she winced. "Did I just hear it grumble? No, this is all wrong." He tsked.

"Let me keep him." She begged, holding the angry spider close to her chest.

"'He' is an abomination and he will be disposed of as per the regulations with dealing with potentially unstable spells. Now put it down, I'll dispose of it at the end of class. And let's try this again shall we? Perhaps you should try another step down?" He flipped a few pages in her text book and swiveled it around for her to see. "There is only one thing easier than a spider, so you try a bat next." He informed her with forced patience as he gently took the spider from her.

She tried to ignore all the eyes on her, including the purple gaze of Tanya's perfect wolf. She wished she could vanish, but that was seventh grade spell casting and she didn't stand a chance trying that. She took a deep breath and pushed away her sadness as she ran through the incantation. Her voice was the only one speaking, and she noted how well she was doing until she stammered on the last word. Two black balls appeared on the wooden desk top before her and a giggle started the corner of the room that contaminated the entire room. The intensity of the laughter only raised as the two spheres unveiled thick leathery wings and met her with curious yellow eyes. They squeaked out of their petite mouths as they rose into the air fluttering madly.

_"Hello Morgana."_ Was what the squeak had meant. Her instructor let out an annoyed click of his tongue.

"These aren't bats. Where are their legs? They look like banshee balls with wings." He sighed as the children carried on their hysterical laughter. "Again you create abominations… put them in the cage in the back of the class room. We can't have these creatures wandering about. I'll destroy them after everyone else is done."

"NO! You can't!" Morgana snatched the spider back from him frantically, the bats flying to hover around her head.

"Ms. Macabre, you can't expect me to…" He started apologetically.

"Please let me keep them! I made them! You have no right to take them away!" The laughter was its loudest now as she fought down her tears.

"Morgana, we'll set you up with a nice cat or maybe Tanya can conjure you up something pretty…"

"No! I don't want anything else! I want them!" She shouted and her eyes darted around at the collected faces before she glared at the instructor. "I won't let you hurt them!"

With that she ran out of the class, pushing her classmates out of her way. Her shoes rang their echo down the stone walls loudly as she clasped the spider gently in her hands, her bats squeaking excitedly as they kept pace around her shoulders. They knew her name, she'd made them, and they were the first spells she'd done that weren't bad. No one was going to take her friends from her! The tears were spilling out of her eyes thickly as her throat ached with her strangled sobs. She heard her bats shout a warning too late and she ran right into a solid body as she turned a corner. She fell backwards and landed on her knees on the hard cobbled floor. Immediately she checked the spider, he seemed a bit stunned but unharmed. Finally her eyes rose to see one of the last people she had wanted to run into.

"Ms. Macabre!" Screamed her instructor's winded voice with a sure note of reprimand until he cantered up behind her. "H…Headmaster Greytalon!" He spluttered.

She turned her pleading eyes up to the old ghoul and found sadness there.

"I'm sorry Headmaster, she just ran out of class. I'll have the abominations disposed of immediately..." The instructor said quickly covering his tracks.

"Abominations?" Greytalon said quizzically. His vibrant eyes scanned the girl and her creations. "What? Do you mean these bats and that spider? I daresay, these are far from the qualifications for disposal." He said with a warm smile at the little girl.

"Y… you can't be serious. They meet just about every…" The teacher stammered.

"Perhaps you ought to look again, or would you like to explain to Moloculo Macabre why you destroyed three perfectly good familiars?" The sentence was a threat, and she knew it. But for the first time in her life she was glad people were afraid of her father. She watched the scenario work itself out in her teacher's mind and he let out a loud gulp before he forced a meek smile.

"I… I see I've been mistaken. I'll just bring her back to class then." He moved to help her off the ground but an elderly hand was extended to her first.

"I'd like to have a bit of a chat with her at the moment if that's alright with you, Ms. Macabre?" Greytalon smiled kindly. She nodded quickly still holding her spider close, still afraid of losing her only successes in her entire education. Her hand took his and he pulled her to her feet effortlessly before motioning her to follow him down the hall. She had to try hard not to glance back and see the scowl she was sure her instructor was aiming at her.

There was no conversation as they moved through the corridors to his office. He opened the door for her and waved for her to sit in one of his big comfortable looking chairs. She immediately saw an old picture of her father on the headmaster's wall and looked away as fast as she could. Like it would leap out of the frame and tell him where she was if it saw her looking at it. Greytalon sat behind his desk and shifted a few papers, his eyes didn't move from their text when he spoke to her.

"So, what shall you name them?"

She blinked and glanced up at the bats that were perched on the winged back of the chair she occupied. They looked right back down at her curiously. She didn't have a clue.

"Well, what would you like to be called?" She asked them.

The bats started chirping excitedly to each other until their decision was made. The spider was much quicker in his response. Upon hearing their names she giggled and couldn't contain her smile as she looked back the old ghoul who was watching her suspiciously.

"Aren't they clever? I'd never think of such wonderful names." She said uncertainly as his thoughtful gaze stayed on her. "D… did I do something wrong?"

"You understood all that shrieking?"

"Shrieking? They were talking just like we are."

"Interesting…" He rubbed his chin distractedly. "It appears you are the only one who can hear that."

"You mean, no one else can listen to what they're saying?"

"That is exactly what I mean…" He must have seen the worry in her eyes because he smiled. "That is a very coveted trait in a familiar. One I haven't seen surface in decades yet, you have done it twice." The spider grunted and she looked at Greytalon meaningfully, he chuckled warmly. "My mistake, three times. I am very impressed Ms. Macabre, it seems your magic is stronger than we expected. Now, what are their names?"

"Oh!" She blushed. "How rude of me! This one on the left is Eek, the one on the right is Squeak." She nodded at the bats then extended her spider filled hands. "And this is Archimedes, or Archie for short."

"Well," He grinned at them. "It is a pleasure to be acquainted with you all. I do so hope that you will take very good care of little Ms. Morgana."

A choir of answers only the young girl could understand greeted him.

"So…" She started timidly. "…I can keep them?"

"I should say so." He blinked at her and leaned back into his chair. "That is unless you don't want them."

"I do want them very much!" She answered breathlessly as her eyes widened.

"Then they're yours." He laughed.

"Does that mean…" She said barely over a whisper. "…that I did good?"

"My dear, you've done exceptionally." He said kindly as he watched her sadness fade and her lovely smile greeted her bizarre familiars.

It was true that they met abomination standards but there was brilliant magic in them. A hint of the true power she held. If she could tap this source completely why, she'd be phenomenal. This little girl who was marked by misfortune had the potential to be the greatest student he'd ever had the opportunity to culture. There was strength in her happiness as she sat before him whispering to her creatures. He had to see she stayed this way. He could only control so much of the cruelty the students could concoct but the harshness of children wasn't his concern. The girl needed support from her father, and he had a feeling if she went home with out anyone telling Moloculo about her hidden genius in these creatures that he'd only see them as the abominations her teacher had.

So after he sent her back to class he began writing a letter, carefully considering each word he scribbled on the parchment. It took him most of the day to complete and when it was finished he went to deliver the official looking letter to Morgana to present to her father. His plans where dashed when he heard a girl with a purple eyed wolf proclaiming how the "untalented mopey Macabre" had ran out of the building as soon as they were dismissed. He was too late. He only hoped he could reach the castle before any real damage was done.

Morgana ran up the path, the gravel crunching under her feet. She raced up to the ornate front doors and roughly pushed them open with the biggest smile she'd ever smiled on her face. She was nearly out of breath when she clattered into the main hall, but she still found the strength to shout.

"Daddy! Daddy!" She cried happily, Eek and Squeak flapping about her, Archie resting on her shoulder.

"In here my dear." His tone less voice sounded from the study.

She grinned around at her friends, her magic, and ran into the room. He was standing in front of one of the heavily stacked book cases beside the mantelpiece that had her mother's portrait over it. It was almost as if she was going to show her new friends off to both of them. As soon as his mismatched eyes saw her she noticed how they slowly traveled to the bats and spider cautiously. Under this careful gaze she felt nervous, even more so then when she'd been in the headmaster's office. He studied them blankly then let his gaze fall on her worried face,

"Did you conjure these?" He asked flatly.

"Y… yes daddy."

He blinked placidly and something happened that she'd rarely seen before. Her father smiled at her.

"Then why do you look as though you've got your hand caught in a normal trap? They are wonderful my child."

She felt the wide smile ravish her face again as she bolted toward him and threw her arms around him. His thin embrace found her as well.

"What are their names?" He asked softly.

"Eek, Squeak, Archie, this is my dad: Moloculo Macabre."

The creatures squeaked and grunted in greeting and she watched her father hold out a hand for the bats to land on. She was so happy she felt like she would burst. She was just about to tell him about all the headmaster had said when out of nowhere he appeared in the doorway. Greytalon wore a distressed look that instantly faded into surprise.

"Headmaster Greytalon, have you come to take a look at my daughter's fabulous familiars?" Moloculo winked at Morgana and her smile spread wider still.

"Yes, they are truly wonderful, but I had hoped I could speak with you for a moment Moloculo?"

"Of course. You stay right here Eek, Squeak, Archie…." He blinked at her confused. "… and who are you again?" He teased.

"I'm Morgana!" She giggled and pushed him lightly.

"Very well Morgana, would you mind staying in here for a moment?"

"Not at all. I want to introduce my friends to mom!" She quickly seized a chair and started to pull it toward the mantle.

The bats flew out of his hand as he walked out of the study. Before he closed the door he watched her push the chair up against the black marble and stand on it, her eyes locked on the portrait. He met the headmaster in the main hall seriously.

"They are near abomination..." He started quietly.

"Moloculo…"

"…yet you let her keep them…"

"You have to see what great …" Greytalon was silenced when the younger ghoul held up a steady hand and shook his head lightly.

"…and I thank you. I have not seen her as happy as this in a very long time." There was softness in Moloculo's eyes Greytalon had thought was dead. "Is the magic truly hers?"

Greytalon was overcome with relief and more than a bit stunned. He never imagined he'd take this so well, he was rather ashamed of the outcome his imagination had put together.

"Yes. The magic is hers, and though it may not look like much is it strong magic… old magic." He watched the mismatched eyes widen in a similar fashion as he'd seen the ghoul's daughter's earlier that day.

"Old magic? You're certain?" He hissed excitedly.

"I can feel it in the spider mostly, it's mighty powerful stuff. It's potent and quite inspiring actually." He saw wild hope erupt in the eyes that had been empty these last few years. "But, she can't access it yet. I believe her source is being strangled by something. If the magic wins she will be the most brilliant witch the school has ever known, or if it loses her magic could be crushed. I'm afraid it's the most extreme case I've yet encountered…"

"Morgana will be your star Greytalon! She is a Macabre, it's her destiny!" Moloculo pulled him self up straight and proud.

"You must be prepared for either outcome. You must support her no matter what becomes of this."

"I see Ambrosia every time I look into her face…" Moloculo locked eyes with him fiercely, "…don't question my love for my child."

Greytalon sighed lightly with a small smile of his own.

"You have no idea how good it is to hear you say that. I will leave you now."

"Thank you Greytalon and just you wait and see she'll be magnificent!" Moloculo watched the elderly ghoul pass through the front door and turned to reenter the study. He paused upon hearing her voice.

"No Eek, I didn't know her really, I still remember what she looked like though. She was prettier than this painting, prettier than I'll ever be…" He heard an odd sort of mumbling. "Oh Archie, that's awful sweet of you." There was a faint squeak. "She died, a long time ago. Daddy said she was killed by… nore malls. They're the villiagers across the plain, they can't use magic… he hates them."

He pushed open the door and put on a grin as he strode into the room.

"Well? What did your mother have to say?"

Morgana turned to him, smiling. The bats were fluttering around the painting and the spider was scuttling along the mantle. The way she looked now, he felt like he was seeing her for the first time, she was a beautiful eight year old girl. Almost too lovely to be a part of the ghoulish community, but her eyes held the depth of worlds beyond the one he knew and for the first time he felt it. Just like he had with his late wife, she seemed to radiate with her hidden magic. Looking at her now he knew, she would be the heir he had dreamed of after all.

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Darkwing Duck and all related characters are (c) Disney

The rest are mine. :D

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Well... sorry for the long gap in updates. Thanks for reading and reviewing:D


	5. Destiny

Her Beaten Path

Chapter Five

Destiny

As the nights and weeks passed her magic remained. Her strange interpretations of spells not only made her smiles more frequent but it also gained her more status as an outcast then ever before. The other students, fueled by Tanya, teased her more openly and persistently. There wasn't a day that passed when something disgusting would wind up in her desk, or someone would trip her as she walked to her desk. She didn't really blame them, she still didn't deserve to be passing classes but now she had real magic to use so their cruelty didn't effect her as they would have liked. After a while she was just too pleased that she'd kept her gift to even notice. She even earned her first "C" on an exam, it was the first time she'd been graded fairly and she was so proud she conjured up a strange looking frame for it. She was glad she was able to use her magic, near ecstatic to see the hope in her father's eyes when he saw her… but…

During the day she couldn't really pay attention to it, she was too busy trying to keep up taking notes, or memorizing names for her Wiccan History exam, at night however… she couldn't deny it. Usually after her father had tucked her in, after Eek and Squeak would hang from the canopy of her four poster bed and Archie curled up on the pillow beside her she could feel it. She would close her eyes and it would nag at her mind, it was frightening. She could feel her magic, feel it twisting, lashing around, fading, returning, struggling, like it was at war with some invisible foe, battling a never ending fight to remain. She didn't know why it felt that way and none of the other of students mentioned it, not that she'd asked anyone. She didn't need to give them more to tease her about. She'd even looked around in the library for any mention of it, if it was normal it would have been scrawled out in one of them… wouldn't it? There was nothing she could do, so she would lie in the dark pleading silently to the room around her to let her magic win. When sleep would settle upon her, she could only have faith that she'd still have her power when she woke up.

As time passed, her magic did stay, though it was far from strong or consistent. Its potency would come in waves some days it would be better than it ever was only to relapse into the rock bottom for no reason. She carried on, each night a spectator to the battle she had no control over. The days turned into weeks, weeks into months, until little over a year had gone by. In the nine years she'd been alive she'd never regarded herself as special, only different. Some called her "freak" behind her back… after a while the term didn't sting as it used to. She'd learned to find comfort in her familiars, but it was still very lonely… until her destiny reared its head. One gray afternoon she sat in the large lecture room alone apart from Archie. Eek and Squeak didn't want to go to school that morning after one of her class mates had jinxed them to fly in circles for the greater part of the day before… she couldn't blame them. The school had set up a lot of guest speakers for the students this term to help them decide what classes they wanted to pursue in the upcoming semester. So far they'd had Alchemy speakers, Summoning presentations, and today they were expecting an infamous diviner to give them a glimpse of that field. Morgana was naturally interested and curious, but knew better than to have fantasies of herself doing anything these warlocks and witches made look so easy.

It was nearing the end of lunch time as she turned her Chupacabra cheese sandwich over and over in her hands. She stared at it sadly in the quiet hall as Archie skittered across the desk. She never ate in the cafeteria with the rest of the students, she'd tried to once or twice but no one would give her a seat and she'd wind up leaving anyway. So she'd normally seek out the emptiest room and eat her lunch alone. She sighed and flaked a few seeds off of the crust, Archie picked them up immediately. Really, she wasn't much in the mood to eat today. Sometimes she would imagine she could just sit the girls who hated her, make believe they were glad to see her, and she'd make up conversations they'd have in her head.

_Morgana your hair looks nice today, are those new barrettes?_

_My birthday is next week and I want you to come to my slumber party Morgana, Papa said we could have the entire mausoleum to ourselves!_

She placed the sandwich on the desktop with an empty sigh.

"My, wat a big sigh froam such a little t'ing… hello child." A deep airy voice carried through the still air.

Morgana jumped, she'd been too lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the woman enter the room. She was a chicken with beautiful bronze feathers, slightly heavyset, and her eyes were purple. She stood at the front of the room, her deep eyes held on Morgana intently.

"H-hello." She peeped.

"Why are ya in here alone young beauty?" He woman asked. Morgana frowned and looked around for who she was talking too. She blinked at the empty desks around her before she paused…. She couldn't mean…

"Me?" She ventured meekly.

" I shood say so. Why aren't ya wit' the otha students my lovely?" Her speech was odd and dreamy as she placed a large glittering bag on the presenter's desk.

"I… well, they don't like me very much."

"Dat does not surprise me. Ones such as you are yoosually outcasts…. But you'll show dem." The woman started unloading strange looking objects from the bag and placing them on the dark wood desk.

Morgana blinked at what she'd heard and looked at Archie who shrugged with eight shoulders. Maybe she should have made Eek and Squeak come to school… she never thought they'd miss something as bizarre as this.

"Are you the Divining speaker?" She asked timidly.

"I am indeed lovely. I am Madam Mambo, an' divination is only one of ma specialties." A smile tugged at her black beak as she pulled a skull out of the bag, a candle was frozen in the act of melting on it. Morgana stared into the dark empty eyes.

"I bet you're the best." She said sadly, and automatically.

Her eyes were locked on the vacant sockets, it was strange but… she identified with this skull. She wasn't a good witch, she and the skull were surrounded by talent that they couldn't harness. They could only sit there and watch what others took advantage of with wonder. Knowing that they would only be able to witness such amazing abilities, never be able to do it for themselves. In reality, both she and the skull, were nothing more than decoration. Her mind finally registered what she'd said, and how miserably she'd spoken. Hesitantly she looked into the face of Madam Mambo. The woman was scrutinizing her with a hard, calculating frown. Morgana slid down in her seat slightly.

"Tha best?" The hen put her heavily ringed hands on her hips. "Normally tha students dun' start suckin' up to me until they find out I want volunteers."

The look she was sending Morgana made her feel like she was going to be sick. She wasn't sucking up, she wasn't even thinking when she said it. She gripped the sides of her seat in agony. She couldn't have anyone else hate her, not someone who had been so nice to her. It wasn't fair, why did she go and open her mouth? Madam Mambo gave her a slow blink before she lightly shook her head with a light smile.

"But I see you believe it. Sadly love, dere are ones greatar den me." Mambo glanced at the door. "I would put yer lunch away little one, your class mates are on da move."

Morgana sat bolt upright and crammed her untouched food into her bag, nearly knocking Archie in as well. She tried not to notice how closely the woman watched her as she did so. The students filed into the room like a storm, loud and unruly. They flowed through the desks to sit beside their friends not interrupting their conversations, or even sparing a glance to the placid looking woman standing with her nick knacks on display. All except for one. Tanya Spellbinder, in her gremlin green dress fresh from the catwalks of Transylvania paraded over to Mambo and gave her a formal bow. Morgana propped her chin in her hand tiredly to be more comfortable to view the enamored glint that always shone in people's eyes when Tanya spoke to them. The girl rose from her curtsy and the room fell silent as her enchanting voice spoke.

"My mother has told me all about you and your great accomplishments your Grace. I do so look forward to your demonstration today. She even told me that you use one of the students as an example. I cannot wait to see you're brilliance in action. Why," The girl said in false surprise. "… That's right she told me you picked her for the exercise. She told me how wonderfully accurate your reading was, and how you said she was enchanting as you told her about her future. You know, a lot of people tell me I'm just as enchanting as my mother, if not even more so." Tanya grinned and Morgana heard Archie gag.

"Well, I can safely say dat is so Ms. Spellbinda." Mambo said calmly.

"Oh, you knew my name!" Tanya smiled silkily. "You truly are magnificent!"

Morgana shook her head lightly as Tanya bowed low again then took a seat in the front row among her throngs of friends who started fussing over her as soon as she sat down. Tanya whispered to her entourage and sent a confident smile across the room, Morgana followed the girl's gesture to him. Velken Vonkarumah was one of the most popular boys in the whole school and for good reason. He was gorgeous. There seemed to be a wave of sighs that followed the black feathered fowl with orange eyes. He only got handsomer when he transformed into a werewolf during the day of a full moon. He was a terrific athlete and was almost as good at spell casting as Tanya. It seemed all he had to do to steal a girl's heart was look at her, naturally, he'd never spared Morgana a single glance. Morgana shifted in her chair noticing that once again no one had sat near her, and settled in to watch Tanya's divination reading. She wasn't being pessimistic or sarcastic, it just always worked out that way. Every lecture, every demonstration, Tanya was picked among the eager hands waving through the air, even if she hadn't raised her own. There was just something about the girl that drew people to her. She must have oozed potential and magical potency… Morgana admired her too, but she didn't feel anything special the few times she'd been permitted near her. Maybe her perception of things was as wacky as her spell casting because… she had thought that Tanya's aura felt weaker than hers. But judging by how brilliant Tanya was, she must have been mistaken.

"Settle down children!" Shouted Dr. Chaney, their scraggly canine teacher, over the lingering conversations. "We've invited Madam Mambo here to speak to you today about Divination, so that you can decide if you want to take up the course next term. Be polite and show her the respect she deserves. And that means YOU Mr. Strange!" He pointed at a mischievous looking ghoul who shrugged with a smirk. Dr. Chaney nodded to Mambo and took a seat near the door.

"I know some of you are familyar wit' me by wat yer fellow students an' parents have told you." Smiled Mambo as she looked around the room, her eyes avoiding Morgana. "Divination is a very complicated field, it is a very personal mix ovf numerous diffarent methods. Wat I use is somet'ing dat will only work for me, when you learn it you have to find yer own way to interpret da signs yer third eye is showin' ya. But I am not goin' ta bore ya, don't fret children. As Ms. Spellbinda has reminded ev'ryone I do choose one student to focus on an' 'read'." Morgana watched the students wiggle in their seats excitedly. Tanya just lifted her beak into the air properly. "I pick da person wit' wat I sense is da greatest potential of the group. I have successfully picked da top students in each class for da last feefteen years." Excitement buzzed through the classroom in the form of whispers, Dr. Chaney glared around hoping to silence them with his frown. Mambo pretended not to notice. "A lot of diffarent factors come into play here. Aura, presence, magical depth, and… destany." Mambo rested her eyes on Tanya who sat up even primmer as her friends nearly exploded with anticipation. Morgana nodded to herself in satisfaction, she knew it. She looked at her desk top, the small scratches and scribblings distracting her from how happy Tanya looked at that moment. "Today, I sense in dis room de strongest essence I have evar felt in all de long years of my life…"

_Tanya Spellbinder, please come here and give me the honor of reading you._

Morgana predicted the words as she fingered a deep groove in the wood, Archie chasing her finger playfully. She let her eyes follow the grains waiting for the announcement, instead she heard chairs squeak and the shuffle of a great number of people turning in their seats. She slowly slid her eyes up to see every single one of her classmates staring at her. Confusion or disbelief poured out of every face apart from one. Madam Mambo was observing her fixedly, a kind smile on her face.

"Would you do me de honor of lettin' me read you love?"

Morgana froze. She felt every scrap of strength drain out of her, and the color vanish from her face. Wake up, she commanded silently to herself. This couldn't be happening, the confusion on some of the faces changed into scowls but the one that caught her attention was Tanya's. She was glaring at her, looking more livid than she'd ever seen her before. Even worse when someone spilled Pooka juice on her dress by accident. Morgana swallowed hard.

"Don't be shy love." Mambo beckoned gently and conjured two plush chairs at the front of the room. She motioned her to come sit in one.

Her stomach tightening, her heart un beating, she stood and heard Archie cheer her on. Her hands were shaking as she started to walk through the desks, keeping her eyes on the chair. She didn't want to see how they were looking at her as she passed. She felt light headed and something flashed in her mind. She saw a leg being stuck out to trip her. She stopped walking and looked down in a daze. Tanya Spellbinder's leg met her gaze, her eyes traveled to the girl's furious face. Morgana blinked at the scowling girl, how did she do that? She knew it was going to happen… but how?

"You are more like yar mutha den you know Ms. Spellbinda." Mambo commented darkly and flicked her wrist, Tanya's leg was flung back under the desk with a shout from its owner. She then nodded at Morgana, encouraging her to come take a seat.

Morgana fought the urge to run the rest of the way and finally reached her destination. She sat carefully in the chair, the glares of her classmates filling her vision. As soon as she was seated the chair swiveled on its own and the only face she could see was one that held amorous purple eyes.

"Relax love, let me see yer hands."

Hesitantly, she lifted her pale white hands up to the woman whose bronze grip seized them gently. Morgana was surprised at how soft the woman's touch was. Mambo closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Morgana waited for the laugh, the joke to come to the surface. Mambo just wanted to humiliate her after what she'd said, didn't she? When the woman spoke again, it was different. There was something in her voice that held unshakable truth, and sureness.

"Your life has not been easy. It was taekin from you when you were born…" Mambo's eyes remained closed, like a she was reading from a book printed on her eyelids. "Yar mutha gave her life for yars, she knew how speciale you were… how imporetant you will become to all ovf us." Morgana heard a few people laugh. She wished she could run back to her desk and hide under it. "Dun't lissan to dem. Lissan to me." Mambo opened her eyes, they looked cloudy like someone had injected them with milk. The strange eyes stared into hers and she felt her mind haze slightly as she nodded meekly. "It will all change, very soon. It will huart, but de pain… it makes you stronga. Pain brings you a betta life. Brings you closa to who you have to be." Mambo's eyes flickered to Morgana's fingers with a gasp.

"What?" Morgana replied fearfully as Mambo raised her hands closer to her eyes.

"I see a ring… a fabulous ring child. One dat you didn't expect… one dat holds de aura of de purest love I haf ever seen."

Morgana felt her cheeks redden. No one was laughing now, they were hanging on every breath.

"You will become as raideeant as dis ring I see. Powas you neva imagined will be yars."

"Will she find true love?!" Called out an excited voice she couldn't place.

She felt her mouth go dry. She was terrified of the answer. Her head was near exploding with her own questions to ask… that had been one of them. But if she didn't, if no one wanted her even if she was this wonderful vision Mambo saw…

"No," Mambo shook her head. "She will not find it."

Morgana felt her heart break. How could she say that? How could she say it so easily? Why did she have a ring that was given to her by someone she loved if she never found true love? She felt the tears start to work their way into her eyes when Mambo's gaze removed itself from her hands to her face with a smile.

"It will find her."

A few girls piped up demanding to know who it was. Morgana just stared at the face before, her chest aching. True love?

"It will come when you have stopped believing, when you least expect it… froam a man you have known before."

Morgana felt strange, her face was warm and she was dizzy as if she'd faint. There was a sharp pain in her arm like someone had put a needle in it. She blinked at Mambo who smiled at her and winked.

"Dun't look so scared, he's very handsome."

A laugh came from the class that wasn't the same she was used to hearing. It was lighthearted and amused, not cruel. Amid the laughs she heard muffled voices in her head. They didn't sound right, like they were too far away. Her skin crawled as she felt invisible bonds tighten. She searched the face in front of her but Mambo just patted her cheek lovingly.

"Hard times flock to you love, but you will find your strength." Mambo released Morgana's hands with a cleansing and they landed on her knees. "T'ank you darling, now, may I ask you one t'ing?"

Unable to make herself speak, Morgana nodded.

"What is yar name?"

The room grew silent. Morgana stared at her. Was she serious? Everyone knew who she was, everyone knew she was Moloculo Macabre's daughter even if they didn't know her first name. They also knew she was useless. Would she take back all those things she said when she found out who she was?

"I'm Morgana Macabre." She whispered softly. Mambo blinked then raised an eyebrow at her as she leaned back in her chair.

"Is dat so?" She said lightly, thoughtfully.

"Y-you really didn't know who I am?"

"How can I know who you are, if you dun't know yourself?"

Morgana opened her mouth to answer but fell silent as she thought about the words she'd used. Did she really know who she was? She knew she tried so hard to live up to her father's expectations, but she didn't have a clue of what she wanted for herself. Mambo gave her a pleased nod.

"You are not like de otha children, and dat is what makes you imporetant." Mambo said quietly, then sat up straight and spoke so that the class could hear. "You may go back to yar seat now Ms. Macabre."

Morgana rose from the chair and weaved through the aisles to the back of the class, the warmth draining from her head. Her thoughts unfogging themselves. She sat at her desk and Archie started talking to her immediately, she barely noticed. She looked at her hands as Madam Mambo started the technical part of the lecture. Her pale slender fingers were naked. A ring, a beautiful ring would be given to her by someone who loved her? She'd find true love? She felt a smile cross her face and she tried desperately to suppress it. Archie grunted at her in annoyance for ignoring him and she snapped out of her daze. Out of the corner of her eye she saw them, orange eyes. Her chest tightened as she worked up her nerve and looked at him. Velken was watching her curiously, she blushed fiercely and snapped her eyes back to her hands. Things would get better… wasn't that what Mambo had said? That her true love was someone she knew? She felt her red face go shades deeper and she spent the rest of the presentation trying to keep her imagination in check. She tried to remember everything Madam Mambo had told her and wrote it down, Archie filled in the parts she couldn't really remember.

She re-read it as Mambo finished her speech, and stared at the first few lines. Archie had told her that as soon as she'd said that Dr. Chaney had run out of the room like his tail was on fire. She'd had her life taken from her? Her mother had sacrificed herself to give it back? What did that mean? She looked up from her paper as her fellow students started flowing out of the room with their usual loudness. Her eyes found Mambo packing up her trinkets as girls swarmed her trying to get a reading of their own. She put her notes in her bag and helped Archie onto her shoulder. The girl's numbers were cut in half as Tanya stormed out of the room with out even a glance at Mambo, her friends scrambled out to keep up with her. Morgana waited at the first line of desks, she had to ask her. After a few moments Mambo met her anxious gaze with a smile. She went to move in closer to Mambo until she heard it. It had been so long since she'd heard the voice that invaded the room as outraged as she now heard it.

"What did you hope to accomplish by this stunt?"

Morgana started stunned as her father strode furiously into the room. The lingering girls panicked and ran out, nearly trampling each other in the process. Mambo, however eyed him coolly.

"Hello Moloculo."

"Don't you 'Hello' me!" He fumed.

"Dad..?"

"Morgana go wait outside." His livid glare was locked on the unfazed hen as he growled his order.

"I t'ink she shood stay."

Morgana flinched. Her father was already beside himself, and that comment wouldn't help.

"Don't you think you've done enough?" He seethed.

"I had no idea she was yar daaughta, until I had finished readin' her." Mambo put her hand on her hip impatiently. "An' I dun't t'ink you have da right ta be angry. If anyone has dat, it's Morgana."

"… is this about Mom?" She asked quietly.

"Morgana, go outside!" Moloculo commanded.

"What happened? Why won't you tell me? Is she dead because something I did? Was it my fault?" Morgana wrung the strap of her bag in her hands trying not to release the tears that wanted to strangle her. Moloculo fixed Mambo with a venomous glare.

"I hope you're pleased with yourself." He snarled.

"I do not know wat happened to Ambrosia Moloculo, but I t'ink you should tell da girl wat she wants ta know."

She felt it. Like when Tanya had tried to trip her, she felt her father's fingers tense as he started to cast a spell.

"Daddy! Don't!" She panicked. "STOP!" At this word she felt all the air leave her like she'd been punched in the stomach. Her vision blurred, but she could see her father hadn't moved, neither had Madam Mambo. She tried to bring air back into her lungs but it didn't want to stay. She gagged sickly as her eye lids fluttered and her eyes rolled back in her head as she crumpled to the floor.

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Darkwing Duck and all related characters are (c) Disney

The rest (c) Meh

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Woo! Update! Man. I really wanted to get this story to a certain point before I started uploading Trials of the Hero but... that aint happenin'. Why? You may ask, well... after you read the first chapter of TotH you'll understand. Oh well. Anyway, don't mind my terrible attempt at typing a Jamacian accent and all the grammatical and spelling errors. It took me all afternoon to type this up... and I got tired of trying to fix it myself. ANYWAY I'll stop blabbing now. Thanks for reading and super duper love for those who review!


	6. Where Her Happiness Lies

Chapter Six

Where Her Happiness Lies

"_How are his vitals?"_

"_Stable."_

"_Are we sure we can't use an anesthetic?"_

"_Positive. We don't want to risk anything going wrong."_

"_What about what vo…"_

"_He doesn't know what he's talking about! I'm the head physician here; you are to follow my orders."_

"_He won't like this…"_

"_He'll appreciate the scientific results of our little experiment… now it's time we prepped. Go get a tranquilizer… we don't know what will happen if this works…."_

The voices faded and Morgana could barely remember the words she'd heard. Her body was heavy, her mind sluggish and dull. Sensation crept back over her, her head ached and she felt a thin embrace cradling her… arms she recognized.

"Morgana?" His voice asked fearfully.

"Daddy?" She wheezed, her chest burning. She made her eyes open and through their haziness saw one red eye, one black. She blinked slowly and the rest of his face came into focus. His brow was wrinkled with worry and his eyes were locked on her uneasily. The ceiling of the lecture hall cleared from its fuzziness and it framed his apprehensive features.

"Are you alright Morgana?" He asked quietly.

She closed her eyes painfully. "My head hurts."

"You hit it pretty hard."

"Is Archie okay?" She blinked up at him. He gave her a small smile.

"Yes, he's just fine." The spider scrambled into sight on Moloculo's shoulder.

"Where did you learn such a powerful spell?" Headmaster Greytalon's voice came from out of her sight. She felt the lingering disorientation drain from her as she waited for someone to answer him. "Morgana?" He prodded insistently. "Where did you learn that spell child?"

"Spell?" Her eyes widened. "I didn't cast a spell I just…" She looked at her father for support and he raised his eyebrows at her in mild surprise. "I-I just shouted…"

"Ya most certaanly did cast a spell love. A real big one at dat." Madam Mambo's voice sounded from above her.

"Everyone in the school couldn't move for an entire minute." Greytalon informed her.

She tried to let it sink in. How could she have done that? She couldn't have. Her father looked at her peculiarly. She couldn't even speed up a turtle for a second in incantation class yesterday… how could she have frozen hundreds of people with one word? It didn't make sense.

"I just shouted…" she stated weakly. "I didn't do anything different."

"Well that's rather dangerous…" Greytalon said softly.

"Dangerous? My Morgana?" Moloculo growled in the direction she could only assume the headmaster was standing.

"Da girl has a gift an' she will only get stronga Headmastur, trust me I know." Mambo said firmly. "But she does not qualify as bein' daangerus. Not yet anyway."

"Not yet?" Moloculo frowned.

Morgana closed her eyes helplessly. She wished they wouldn't talk about her when she was right here. She wasn't dangerous; she hadn't meant to do it. What happened to the promising reading she'd just received… what if she had ruined it by accident? Could she really have done that? The adults around her were talking, but their voices sounded more like distant murmuring.

_I'm scared_.

Morgana's brow knotted.

_Please don't let them hurt me._

Who was this? It wasn't a grown up's voice… but she was the only kid here.

_Where is he? Don't let them do this…You said you wouldn't._

Her face felt warm and her head clouded. She couldn't fight the sudden spinning sensation that made her dizzy. Her eyes fluttered open and saw her father's face turned away from her, probably talking to someone. She could barely breathe, something was wrong. Why were these people in her head? She tried to speak but couldn't find the strength to. That's when it hit her. Quick and relentless a pain more intense than anything she could imagine erupted inside her. Her scream was the only thing she could hear over the blinding agony and she seized a handful of her father's coat. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. This torturous anguish felt like millions of razor blades were tearing open her flesh one moment, then like burning coals were being ground into every inch of her the next. Tears streamed down her stinging cheeks and she could barely see her father through this misery. He was staring at her horrified his mouth moving but the words did not reach her. She was ready to die, she couldn't endure this suffering. Her vision was ripped from her eyes and she felt her grip on the soft fabric fail. Before she lost consciousness she heard him again. The boy, he was screaming. The sound was too terrible… he was in so much more pain then she was. His shrieking echoed in her head as she felt the fight leave her.

She stirred; the smoothness of bed sheets greeted her. She opened her eyes to the dark and saw her bedroom around her. She blinked dimly, and noticed Archie was sleeping on the pillow next to her as he always did. Eek and Squeak were at their stations hanging from the bed posts as well. She rubbed her forehead distractedly. It was all a dream? She didn't feel any pain, so it must have been. She slid her hand through her hair with a sad sigh. She should have known better than to think she'd be picked over Tanya… that any thing as interesting as all that had really happened. But she could still remember it. The boy's voice… the screaming. She closed her eyes as she fought the shudder away as she recalled his pain. Alone in the darkness of her eyelids she felt something that made her gasp. It was gone. She lay perfectly still, holding her breath. It remained. The fighting, the wavering bitter battle inside her… it was gone. Her magic wasn't bound anymore. She let her captive breath escape in an excited hiss before she carefully got out of bed. She didn't want to wake her friends. She didn't want to do anything to make it come back. Her webbed feet were upon the cold cobbles and she turned her hands over and over. She was shaking, scared and anxious.

She tried to calm herself down and wiped her bill mindlessly. Could she do it now? She closed her eyes, it was still peaceful. She breathed in deeply and felt the air change as it entered her body… like it had turned much sweeter… richer. Her hands moved perfectly into their instructed conjuring stance and she felt a coolness in the pit of her stomach. Her lessons from the day before swam through her head, and she whispered an incantation. There was a loud smash and she flung her eyes open. A teapot was shattered on the floor in front of her, she felt her jaw drop. She barely heard the panicked foot steps rushing through the hall before her bedroom door swung open, the light dancing along the broken glass. She was seized by the shoulders and turned to meet her father's frightened face.

"Morgana! Thank Hades you're alright." He pulled her into his arms roughly, holding her close to his chest. "We were so worried… what happened?"

"…now?" She asked puzzled.

"No," He released her and looked slightly bewildered. " No, at the school dear. After you hit your head… you screamed like someone was burning you at the stake."

She gaped at him. "T-that was real?"

His brow crinkled in concern. She looked off into nothing. It wasn't a dream…

"I don't know what happened." She confessed and pushed her hair away from her eyes. "I just remember hurting."

"What hurt?"

"…everything."

His bony hand brushed her cheek lightly and she felt something cold in his grip. She took his hand and saw a gold pendant in his palm. She recognized it immediately though she'd never seen it in person before. She'd always loved the way this necklace looked on her mother in her portrait. Her eyes sought out his and found them watching her carefully.

"That's mommy's pendant… right?"

"Actually, it was your grandmother's." He didn't remove his hand from her gentle touch, or his eyes from her face.

"Oh." She responded thoughtfully. "That 'M'," She traced the elegant letter etched in painstaking detail in the reflective metal. "… means Macabre, right?"

"Right."

A smile crossed her face as she worked it out.

"Grandma gave it to you to give to Mommy didn't she?" He nodded. "How romantic." She sighed happily, her eyes hovering over the engraved bats and spiders.

"I was…" He stopped himself abruptly and she looked away from the pendant to his forlorn expression. Her face contorted with compassion as his gaze searched her face. "I was afraid I'd lost you. You were barely breathing… you weren't responding to anything."

"I didn't mean to scare you Daddy."

"I know my dear. But I was reminded of this… I know she would have wanted you to have it." The fine gold chain slid around his fingers as he lifted it to fall around her head. She watched it lay to rest just below her ruby pendant. She smiled and gripped it lovingly in her hands. "It's the most precious heirloom I can give you Morgana, it has rested over the heart of every Lady Macabre in our blood line. It is the symbol of our family, a reminder of our strength and where our happiness lies."

"And you're really giving it to me?!" She peeped merrily.

"It would look rather silly on me don't you think?" His bill slid into a half smile.

"Oh thank you Daddy! I promise I'll take care of it!" She crushed him in a hug and he closed his arms around her tenderly.

"Morgana…" his voice had changed from caring to suspicious. "… what is that?"

She looked up at his stern face to see him looking at the broken glass. She smiled innocently.

"Oh, I kinda made a teapot."

"A teapot." He perked a questioning eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I forgot that Dr. Chaney told us to make sure to form it over a table or something soft." She admitted bashfully as he eyed her.

"You're telling me you materialized this?"

She nodded as she watched him pick up a large shard. He looked at it strangely, and he ran his hand along its surface. It had a pretty pattern on it… she was kind of upset it was broken, she would have liked to use it at least once. His eyes came back to her strangely, inquisitively.

"_You_ made this?" She nodded. He blinked at her slowly. "Morgana, this is china."

"No Daddy, it was a teapot…" She corrected him. "...you can see the spout there. It's all we've learned so far."

He shook his head and decided to try a different approach.

"Can you make another one?"

"I… I don't know. I can try." She closed her eyes and positioned her fingers. Her young voice started to speak.

Moloculo couldn't believe what he felt… it was coming off her like heat. Strong waves of old, pure magic. He could sense her strength, but her power seemed bottomless. Like the hidden depths of a dark river. He watched as another fine china teapot appeared and he caught it quickly before it met the same fate as its twin. He stared at it numbly.

"It's pretty isn't it?"

He moved his eyes away from the most perfect teapot he'd ever touched to the girl who produced it so easily. It was a moment before he could find the words to speak.

"Morgana… your magic…"

"I know!" She hopped up and down ecstatically. "I don't know what happened but after I woke up I could do this!" She waved her hand at the broken teapot and a set of matching cups and saucers appeared out of thin air to smash on top of it. She cringed and he felt his eyes widen. One look at her face told him she hadn't meant to do that. She smiled nervously and wrung her hands together, looking as if she thought the action would keep the magic inside them. "It's just like Madam Mambo said, 'pain brings you a better life.'"

He felt his wonderment fail at the mention of the name. He let his eyes slide back to the teapot in his hands and ran a finger long the delicate porcelain.

"You're full of surprises today Morgana…" He commented lightly.

"… is what she said about Mom true too?"

His finger stopped its trail and he hesitantly looked up at her. Her hands were clutching the pendant, her eyes desperately boring into him. He sighed heavily.

"Your mother was killed by normals. If the beasts hadn't…" He felt his temper flare and quickly beat it down. She was watching him distraught, and he shook his head softly. "It was true she brought you back…" Her eyes flickered with sadness, he knew he'd have to explain. "When you were born… you were dead. Your mother… she knew a spell that would bring you back to life, so she used it. But that's it. It's not your fault she's gone. It's theirs. Do you understand?"

She nodded sadly and he silently cursed the palm reader for telling her what he'd tried to protect her from all these years. But now that she knew, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He looked back at the object in his hands.

"This is a beautiful teapot dear, may I keep it?"

Her sorrow melted away as she gave him a beautiful smile and nodded cheerfully. He smiled lightly as he turned his attention back to the fine china in his hands, he'd seen her make it… but he still couldn't believe it.

"Daddy…" Her voice was shy and held a smile. "Madam Mambo, she told me that… I'd find true love."

The teapot almost fell out of his hands but he caught it swiftly through his shock. The green eyes of his nine-year-old daughter shone with contentment and happiness he rarely saw.

"Not too soon I hope?" He responded numbly.

"Oh, no. Not until I'm a little older I think…"

He smiled and took her small hand in his. Her smile made him calm, chased the world away, just like Ambrosia's had done. Those eyes made him forget the hurt they both had to face everyday.

"My dear, I'm not surprised. We Macabres are unnaturally lucky in finding the loves of our lives." She grinned even wider. He ran a hand through her smooth hair to push it back. "Just promise you'll bring him home to meet your old man, so I can scare the wits out of him at least once."

She laughed melodically. "Okay Daddy."

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Darkwing Duck and all related characters are © Disney

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:3 Anyone feeling squishy inside? I do when I think about where that necklace ends up. XD I'm such a romantic dork. And if you've read chapter one of Trials of the Hero... you know how Morgana feels about keeping that promise in the years to come. I think she's pretty justified in it too, but I'll let you be the judge when we get there. Thanks for reading!


	7. Mother Murdering Freak

**-Chapter Seven-**

**Mother Murdering Freak**

The morning couldn't come quick enough. Her stomach was filled with butterflies as she tried to sleep through the night. The excitement of being able to show her teachers and her classmates her new magic made the clock seem like it was running backward. They couldn't hate her once she showed them. Her head had danced with scenarios of her and Tanya becoming friends, that Velken asked to sit next to her at the crowded lunch table she sat at. She barely said good bye to her father when the time had come to depart for school. She ran out of the castle like an angry mob was chasing her, her familiars all clung to her so not to be left behind. Eldritch Academy was the same as it always was. The students pretended not to notice her apart from a few who stared relentlessly. She couldn't do anything but grin at everyone. She neared her locker and her smile faded.

She felt her face form a deep frown; it was a different expression than what others were used to seeing on her. It held only a shadow of the harshness of her father's - but it had potential. She didn't know what the words were written in but it was red. She gripped the strap of her bag tight gritting her teeth. Her illusions of being popular and loved by her classmates drained from her quickly as she stared at the message. It was then she noticed that people were gathered around… they had been waiting for her to come. Some looked on curious and shocked, while others tried to hide their smiles and jeers. She sucked in a bracing breath, her eyes retreating from the words to the faces that surrounded her, searching for the guilt. For the pride to shine in a pair of eyes so that she could… well, she wasn't sure what she would do, but it wouldn't be pleasant. The children around her, of all ages suddenly seemed like dolls, their faces frozen in their chosen expression. The life in them seemed artificial. Their abnormal bodies like a plastic casing- hallow and callous in their so called emotions. She was different… as she stood in the center of the cruel circle she realized she'd never be the same as them. There was something inside her that they didn't have, and at that moment she clung to whatever it was that set her apart like it would be blown away in a gale.

"What is the meaning of-" Dr. Chaney's voice fell flat as he approached. His eyes fixed on the words his already uneasy demeanor deepening. It was then she saw it.

A flash, a twinkle in a set of eyes, it was a silent delight that claimed the disturbance as their doing. Morgana scanned Tanya Spellbinder as the ghoul's eyes darted around the collected masses with some sort of twisted pleasure. Under the long black silk sleeves that flowed around her wrists Morgana could see the hint of red on the light feathers. Tanya finally noticed she was being stared down and with a harsh arrogant scowl at Morgana she crammed her hands in her pockets.

"Who did this?" Dr. Chaney had finally reclaimed his voice and it trembled with anger. He rounded on the collected students who cringed. "Who? This is unacceptable! If you don't step forth now an inquiry will be made on every one of you… and when I do find out who did this… I'll see to it personally that you are expelled."

The students around them shifted in their outraged silence, each glaring at each other. Blasting themselves for being part of the curious and mean spirited crowd. She returned her eyes to Tanya who looked around snobbishly, as if she was looking for someone to pin the blame on. A hand gently placed itself on her arm and she looked up into the furious face of her teacher.

"Morgana, do you know who did this?" He growled, his anger towards the others because of what they'd done to her was confusing. She couldn't remember him ever taking an interest in her before, but then again he never showed any signs of impatience or animosity toward her either.

She lowered her eyes from his intense stare in thought, feeling her difference ever stronger. She didn't know what it was that set her apart… but she was glad to have it… and right now it was telling her what to do.

"No." She answered calmly. "No, I don't know who did it and it was only a joke. I don't want anyone to get in trouble." She looked back at the locker with a sigh. The words _Mother Murdering Freak_ still glaring at her, making the Macabre pendant around her neck feel like a slab of granite.

"This is not a simple joke Morgana." Dr. Chaney said firmly. "Whoever did this should answer for it." His cold eyes narrowed at the writing. "And the Banshee Blood they used will not fade until the next cycle of the new moon."

She closed her eyes and felt a tingle in her fingertips. It was a pins and needles kind of sensation that was cool and pleasant, which was accompanied by a soothing warmth from the ruby forever present about her throat. The peace inside her told her she could wipe it away with so little as a bat of an eye.

"If I can get it off… can we please not think about this again?" She asked him quietly.

"Morgana…" He answered sadly.

She opened her eyes and approached the horrible words, ones that haunted her the night before and would burn in her mind for years to come. She placed her hand on the cool metal and wiped her palm through the center of the message. The red vanished as her hand passed through the writing and after a moment it was clean, as if nothing at all had ever been there in the first place.

Morgana turned to the crowd. Their faces were alike now, surprise etched onto their ghastly features. Even Tanya was gaping at her, her red eyes wide and unbelieving. So this is what it felt like to be the center of attention. She locked eyes with the startled professor that was only moments ago standing up for a child he no doubt thought unable to do so for herself. Silence was thick around her, even her familiars that clung to her protectfully made no sound. In this stunned hush she opened her locker, placed her bag inside and grabbed her Spell Casting Dictation textbook. The door closed with what sounded like a single ominous blow of a hammer to a wooden steak. Morgana gripped her book firmly against her chest and walked away, the bodies parting to allow her passage.

The course of her education from that moment she had delivered her tormentor from expulsion turned in directions she had never known. Her suddenly radiant gift earned her astonishment at once, but whispers fluttered around like bats behind her back. The faculty was concerned, the students convinced she'd done something unacceptable to achieve her magical aptitude and it earned her bit more status as an outcast. Her foolish dreams of fitting in were all but dashed until the headmaster had stepped in and spoken to each of the staff members in turn. As the school days dissolved into years she finally had a taste of what she feared she'd never have. Friends finally came her way, flippant or steadfast it mattered little to her. She had people to talk to, to share a lunch table with, and to explain the specific way to hold your fingers for a single second of a spell. Her outcast status was slowly fading as she rose through the academic ranks like a sky rocket. She excelled in almost every task put before her, caught on quicker than most and even rose past Tanya in the subjects they shared.

If one thing had remained constant since that day it was the cruel jabs at her from the girl she'd protected from blame. Tanya's underhanded tricks and pranks came frequently. She was still more popular so it went without saying that she was always viewed as having the upper hand when Morgana would simply undo the jinx or hex on her pen or her shoe laces… whatever the girl had intended to embarrass her with. The phrase that had started the trouble would end up all over Morgana's things. Mother Murdering Freak or M.M.F. seemed to follow her wherever she turned. It only furthered the girl's aggravation when Morgana would barely acknowledge the threats, the schemes, the terrible messages. She'd always correct them and neglect to mention them to any staff members that would be outraged at what illegal magic went into the latest attempt to horrify or humiliate her.

Their rivalry was truly one sided and most unbiased students could see that jealousy was the driving force in Tanya's attacks. This stayed the same as the years amounted and changes came. When Velken and Tanya started dating it was safe to say no one was surprised. He had been silently watching the attacks on Morgana from the mean spirited ghoul for years, never offering any help or speaking against it. Though she never let anyone know, this wounded Morgana more than she ever dared to show. It was true to her what the girls used to say. The moment Velken Vonkarumah had looked at her, the brief second their eyes met she adored him. Now, she had to endure the price of her shyness and see him with the girl who hated her for no true reason she could comprehend. But the days rolled by still, the adolescence crumbling to the lure of maturity. The boys shooting skyward like Transylvania Ivy the girls curving out subtlety to fill their forms. As always, time was kind to Tanya, the girl who had always been disarmingly pretty soon turned heads at every corner. Her loveliness was that of the most graceful and elegant ghouls of the past. One that made the boys stare after her even when she'd vanished from their sight. Her magic had matured brilliantly and her relationship with Velken remained strong. Time was even kinder to him, in Morgana's eyes. She would often find herself watching him instead of paying attention to her lessons and whenever he graced her with his eyes her face never failed to flush scarlet.

But as generous as the aging process had been to the most popular of the class it had been equally so to Morgana. Though she barely noticed, she had become a vision not often seen within the walls of the Academy. Her appearance was not one that would grace the finest fashion magazines of the community in which she was born into, but even her normal appearance could not hinder the unnatural beauty of her. She often wondered why eyes followed her, unsure if they were about to talk about her when she'd passed or if they were just happy to look at her. Whatever the reason, she found herself surrounded by more friendly faces. Though Tanya was still toward the top in marks she fell tragically short of Morgana. There seemed to be no limit to what she could do, even though Tanya was eager to find one. It was quickly rumored near the end of their eleventh year of the Academy that Morgana was going to graduate at the top of the class and would therefore have the honor of being admitted to the University without charge, she'd have first pick of classes, and would be granted the privilege to stay in a suite on campus that had harbored the greatest witches and wizards of the school's legacy. This, naturally, was the finishing blow to the staggering ego of Tanya Spellbinder. The date of the school's thousand year anniversary was set to be celebrated with a grand formal ball for all of its students. Dresses were being shipped in from all the corners of the globe for the anxious girls to impress their amorous dates. None was more extravagant or as breathtaking as Tanya's, she paraded around showing off a portrait of herself in it. Making a point to flash it in Morgana's face every opportunity she got. She was less than interested, and thoroughly unfazed. What did surprise her though, was the cold way Velken would frown at Tanya when she did this, and it made her heart beat a little faster. She refused to get lost in fantasies of Velken proclaiming his undying love for her over a look.

But when the word reached her one afternoon in the loud cafeteria that Velken and Tanya had made a huge spectacle of themselves in the hall moments earlier, she could barely believe it. Velken had broken up with her. Tanya was devastated and surely livid, but he had held his ground and walked away free of their relationship. Morgana felt horrible at how pleased she was to hear this, her heart dancing madly with hope. It was a week before the dance, a mere three weeks before her seventeenth birthday. To have Velken take her to the dance would be the greatest gift she could ever hope to receive, even if it was a tad early. But she pushed this hope aside, for in all the years they'd known each other they'd shared more glances than words. So when she found herself cornered by him later that very day the request to accompany her to the dance rolling off his accented tongue took the very air out of her lungs. The most magificent thing in her life had just happened and as he waited for her answer there was only one person she could think of… her father. The Vonkarumah name was more closely linked to a curse in her father's eyes. He and Velken's parents had never gotten along, and her fear of what he'd think if she agreed hastily to this precious invitation stayed her answer. She dreaded it…but she'd have to ask her father's permission to accept this once in a lifetime gift. He smiled at her when she told him this, and he kindly said he'd wait for as long at it took.

Her heart tried to beat itself out of her ribcage as she stood outside her father's study that evening. In the years she'd been excelling in her studies she would have thought he'd gotten warmer, but his distance only seemed to grow. He urged her to take on more classes, to participate in whatever extracurricular lectures came her way. He was never satisfied. No matter what she did he'd still expect more of her. He hadn't been impressed with her achievements, or so it seemed to her. It was almost as if she was just performing to his lowest expectations. She was the head of the class, her mind filled with spells and hexes and incantations the other students couldn't fathom. Her room was never overflowing with friends, she wasn't loud, she barely gave him reason to get annoyed and yet he had become rather irritable. It sowed a seed of resentment in her toward him and its very existence broke her heart. She would do anything to please her father, but she feared that no matter what, he'd find something else that she should have done instead. She was sixteen years old, and not even her father had faith in her to live her life the best she could. Now she had to ask him for permission to do the only thing she'd ever dreamed of since she first met the boy with orange eyes. Since she heard her reading when she was nine years old, this was her chance to make that reading come true. She reached out her hand shakily and knocked on the engraved wood.

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Darkwing Duck and all related characters are © Disney

The rest are © Me :)

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Going on three months with no update here? Yikes. Sorry. I'm sorry if the transition between little Morgana and teen Morg seems sloppy or rushed, but I really didn't want to bog this down with unnecessary and long winded school drama. What will Daddy have to say about this proposal? Well, hopefully you won't have to wait almost three more months to find out. ;P Thanks for stickin' with me and for reading!


	8. Speak No Evil

**Chapter Eight**

**Speak No Evil**

Morgana stood outside his study her lungs aching as she held her breath waiting for him to answer.

"Enter." Came his voice and her panic nearly tripled.

She braced herself and scrounged up her courage as she opened the door and swept into the dark room. The book lined walls were nearly lost to shadow and lit only by the orange glow of the fireplace, he sat at his desk writing as he always appeared to be. She often wondered what he was writing about. What the endless letters he composed for work contained but… it wasn't really any of her business. If he'd have wanted her to know he would have told her. She pulled her gaze away from him to stare at the portrait that always held her for a haunted moment. Her mother smiled at her, always. No matter what brought her here she smiled on. Morgana knew it was silly but she felt like she knew. That her mother was encouraging her with that captured smile.

"What can I do for you my dear I'm extraordinarily busy at the moment."

She pulled her eyes back to her father to see him watching her almost annoyed.

"I…. was wondering if I could to talk to you about something Daddy?" She wrung her hands nervously as he stared her down. His scrutinizing gaze made her unease grow tenfold before he folded his hands with a slow blink.

"What's on your mind Morgana?" He nodded toward a chair that sat across from him indicating for her to sit.

She swept through the room quickly as if she was being timed and sat stiffly in the offered seat. She let her eyes lower to her lap where her hands were clasped tightly together.

"I… think I found him."

"…Him?" He inquired suspiciously.

"You know… 'him' the… true love Madam Mambo told me about …" She had memorized every word of her reading. She would dwell on it for hours at a time keeping a vigil look out for any of what was divined for her. At times it seemed all she could think about… and it irritated him to no end it appeared. He'd scolded her more than once and told her that she was blinding herself by clinging to it too closely. But how could he know? He hadn't felt what she had… hadn't seen the way Mambo's eyes looked. Suffice to say there were a few heated discussions on the subject in Macabre Castle. She lifted her gaze to him and was greeted by his usual frown of severe dislike of this topic. "It's like she said… I've known him before… for a long time really, and he's been so very nice to me…"

"Is that so? And whom, prey tell, is this suitor of yours?" He asked drolly.

"…Velken Vonkarumah."

She watched his mood darken as he let out an angry sigh and lean back into his chair with a scowl. He wasn't going to let this happen… he'd deny her and her shot at happiness over some stupid resentment. She felt the fires of defiance burning in her stomach but they were suppressed when he spoke.

"Wasn't he involved with the Spellbinder girl?" He asked plainly as he rubbed his temples.

"…he was, but they broke up. They had a huge fight in front of everyone and then he…" She blushed lightly and returned her gaze to her hands once more.

"He's asked you to the Millennium Celebration." He finished for her. She wasn't really surprised he'd know about it. The school's thousand year anniversary was the talk of all social circles at the moment. It was a gala that most would follow as closely as updates on a deadly disease. She lifted her eyes to his hopefully.

"May I go with him? Please? I didn't want to say anything until you told me it was okay…"

"As you should have." He responded firmly. "This is a decision I would have been most infuriated if you had recklessly responded to."

She bit her tongue. Arguing wouldn't get her anywhere and… he hated it when she talked back. She just locked him with a pleading gaze which he returned with a hard glance of his own.

"You know how I feel regarding the Vonkarumahs."

"Daddy… he's not like his parents, you should see how he treats me!" She leaned forward in her chair in the boy's defense. "It's just a dance… please..?" she begged.

He held up his hand impatiently and leaned forward as well, only meeting her desperation with aggravation. He pointed a taloned finger at her harshly.

"Morgana do not speak of the boy as if you know him. Snakes have shed their skin long before your naïve infatuation and this serpent is just waiting to strike at you. The seeds of that family's name are wicked, this boy is no different."

"You don't even know him." She said softly.

"Do you? Morgana… I protest this boy escorting you anywhere adamantly." He scowled but let out a small sigh and shook his head. "However I will not deny you the opportunity to prove me wrong. Do as you like but remember the consequences of this are on your shoulders and yours alone." With that he put his quill back to his paper and started writing once again.

Morgana just stared at him for a stunned moment. Had he just given her permission? Her face split into a dazzling smile and she rushed over to him and threw her arms about him.

"Oh thank you Daddy! Thank you thank you!"

The next week seemed to be nothing but a blur to the love struck Morgana Macabre. It was too good to be true, she thought. Velken had been so pleased that she agreed that he'd taken her in his arms, her face had been the brightest pink for hours after. Meals came and went and she barely noticed so enthralled with the orange eyes that seemed to follow her everywhere. She was in heaven. She was sure of it. Her hand held the ruby pendant around her neck tightly when he asked her when her birthday was. Her heart was nearly hammering out of her chest when he looked at her hand carefully when she informed him of its closeness. He looked at her as if to say 'I know just the thing to give you' as he ran his thumb along her ring finger. It was like she was in a dream. One that she prayed would keep her in its clutches forever. She hadn't seen Tanya… not even for a second and it only made her happier.

The night of the dance had finally arrived and the time was nearing for her to leave. Velken was waiting for her down stairs with her father already as she tried to fight down the butterflies in her stomach. She stared at herself in the mirror breathlessly. After sixteen years of trying, it seemed her hair had finally yielded to her desire to wear it up. It was slicked up in a great smooth beehive that added at least another foot to her already formidable height. She fiddled with the sleek red gown with quarter length sleeves and a dramatically drooping collar nervously. It truly made her look like an hour glass, and it glimmered when she moved. There was even a gossamer bit of fabric that sprouted from the back of the dress that hooked around her right middle finger. It was beautiful… and as she stared at her self in the mirror… despite the sick with nerves paleness of her face… she realized she was beautiful too. She smiled at her reflection and the entire room seemed to light up… beautiful. She'd never felt so lovely in her whole life and it was for him which only made her glow all the more. There were squeaks of approval and a grunt of a compliment and her once pale face was invaded by a modest blush. Her familiars seemed to share her view of herself. As a finishing touch she draped her ruby pendant around her neck and did a happy little spin. When she saw herself in the mirror again she was no longer beautiful… she was radiant.

The ghouls downstairs obviously shared this opinion. When she appeared at the top of the stairs and began to descend them slowly she saw her father's eyes widen in awe. She giggled to herself when he gripped the banister to stay standing. When she moved her gaze to Velken she couldn't repress her blush as he smiled at her. He offered his arm without a word and just like that he whisked her away leaving her father to stare after them in stunned silence.

By the time they had arrived at the dance she was feeling lighter than air. The school had spared no expense in their preparations and the halls the students usually meandered through with indifference now were covered with magical bits of wonder to cast elegant shadows and dancing light along the walls. The entire school was decorated as if the Grand High Warlock was paying a visit and the ballroom was only more stunningly glamorous. The young couple swept past other classmates and Morgana barely registered them… she was on cloud nine and found it hard to look at anything other than the mallard that lead her so purposely through the crowds. The people around were just like a mass of silk and beads, a symphony of color only there to play as the backdrop to the wonder she felt at this moment. She wouldn't have been surprised if the school was feeding off her pure happiness, like it was absorbing the enchantment she was feeling. It wasn't until the first chords of a song met her ears that she noticed he'd moved them directly to the dance floor and he took her hand in his and placed his other on her slender waist. She took her position lost completely in his eyes… the color of a passionate sunset, burning and alive. The music seemed to swirl around in her head and stay there as he took the lead and she followed him diligently. Her white feathers stood against his black plumage dramatically, like a raven perched on snow. The traditional dances she had learned clumsily with awkward partners in the school's anticipation of the ball now escaped her as flowing and flawless. He steered her through them confidently as if it was nothing more than a routine he'd mastered. She didn't know if they were the best dancers on the floor but it didn't really matter. It may have to him because he'd look around every so often and she'd have a moment to admire his profile before he'd look back at her with a smile. Time seemed to stop as they danced and it was only after he pulled her away from the dance floor during a waltz that she realized how parched she was. They must have been dancing for a while…

"You are looking thirsty. I'll go get you something to drink yes?" Velken's dark accented voice seemed to send her head spinning as if they were back on the dance floor. She nodded at him dreamily and he released her hand. "Yes. And when I come back we will show them how it is done no?" He smirked and headed off to the table the refreshments were situated on.

She could only let out a rapturous sigh as she watched him walk away. Her eyes finally removed themselves from him and took in the room. She noticed a few friendly faces that waved at her and she bashfully waved back, a smile plastered on her face that she didn't think would be fading anytime soon. It was while her eyes traveled the gorgeous gowns that filled the space that her eyes met the most stunning one of all… but then again she had seen it already. Every time that picture was shoved in her face. Tanya Spellbinder looked like a deity of days long passed. She was the epitome of ghoulish beauty and no one restrained themselves from telling her as often as they had the chance and now in all her glory there was a crowd of adoring ghouls fawning over her every movement. There was a moment where Morgana watched her candidly as she spoke to the collected boys surrounding her but as if she could sense the green eyes watching her Tanya's red eyes slid to her in return. It was too late to pretend she wasn't looking so she just kept her gaze on her and something happened that Morgana could never remember happening before… Tanya Spellbinder smiled at her. She felt a twist in her stomach as Tanya excused herself from her companions to sweep across the room to her. She had the overwhelming desire to run but she choked it down.

"Morgana you look absolutely breathtaking!" Tanya cooed in her airy girly voice as she approached her pleasantly.

"Oh… um… thank you. Y-you're dress is so beautiful." She stated truthfully, she was feeling a bit like a cornered mouse… the cat grinning at her before it brought its teeth down around her head.

"It is, isn't it?" Tanya giggled as she did a flamboyant spin to display it better. When her rotation had ceased she gently took Morgana's hand. "Oh I'm such a horribly stuck up ditz, I wanted to come over here to talk to you."

Morgana felt her eyebrow lift in suspicion as she looked down at their hands.

"Uh… you did?" Red flag after red flag kept springing up in her head she prayed Velken would come back, come and save her.

"Oh yes. I wanted to tell you that I'm not upset that you and Vellie are together I could tell by the way you two were dancing that you were made for each other. I'm jealous that's for sure but… we're both intelligent young women and I'm finally ready to let bygones be bygones." Tanya smiled at her sincerely. "What do you say? I have so much I want to talk to you about… can we…?" She started leading her out of the ballroom toward the abandoned hallways of the school. "We'll have more privacy and I won't have to shout over all this noise…"

"B…but Velken just…"

Morgana felt a glass being pressed into her hand and her eyes danced to Velken as he gave Tanya a strange look. She took the glass and glanced at the both of them, she was trapped between them and couldn't avoid the serious way they had locked eyes… it made her uncomfortable to say the least. She felt Velken's hand on her shoulder.

"Hello Tanya." He said plainly.

"Hello Velken, Morgana and I were just going to have a chat outside… I… maybe you'd like to join us? It's all things you should hear too." Tanya pulled on Morgana's arm again.

She wanted to pull away and bury her face in his chest… just… make her go away. She didn't want to lose that happiness she'd been drunk with and she felt it pouring out of her as if it'd been tapped.

"…Alright."

Morgana felt her eyes widen when he agreed and she found herself being ushered out of the ballroom by both of them. She sent a nervous glance over her shoulder to see a few people start whispering to each other at their sudden departure but they just herded her down the hall and into an empty classroom. She held the glass in her hands staring at the red liquid intently. She didn't want to be here, her mind was racing with worry she didn't want to hear what Tanya had to say. She wanted to forget about her… just go back to the dance with Velken. She looked up at him, at least he was here with her… he wouldn't let Tanya harp on and on…. Would he? She stood there like a statue as the pair started a dry conversation about one thing or another keeping their voices civil and calm. They even apologized to each other for their mistakes made during their relationship it was so very unnerving, uncomfortable and Morgana felt her throat grow ever dryer. As they carried on chatting she lifted the crystal goblet Velken had given her and took a heaping mouthful quickly. As soon as she'd done so the conversation stopped and they both looked at her expectantly… too late she felt the burning in her throat and recognized it. She felt a terrible pain bubble in her stomach as the flames licked her esophagus and she opened her mouth to scream instead a strong hand clamped it shut and held her still as she struggled. She writhed in pain and fixed her desperate eyes on the hard face of the boy holding her. Velken was smiling. Tears tumbled down her face as there was a sensation of something snapping in her neck and she clenched her eyes shut tears streaming down her face in rivers.

"Oh… Morgana dear, whatever is the matter?" Cooed Tanya as she sidled up to Velken with a smirk and slid her hand up to rest on his shoulder. He released her bill and she let out a sob but no sound escaped her. But then again… she feared as much.

"How strange is it not how the Mother Murdering Freak is acting like she has had a potion that severed her vocal chords no?" Velken sneered at Tanya as he held onto Morgana hard.

"Vellie don't even joke about that…" Tanya pouted deceitfully. "A potion like that is highly illegal and completely irreversible… why if a witch consumed something like that willingly… well she could kiss her magical career good bye. After all, the most important spells need their incantations spoken so clearly…"

Morgana felt her heart break as they started laughing. How could they do this? It was unthinkable. How could they be so heartless? Her despair only sunk in deeper when the reality of what had just been done to her sink in… she'd be useless again. All she'd achieved… all she had worked so hard to ensure had just been ripped from her violently and she could almost feel the gaping hole in her chest where her heart had been. She tried to pull away from Velken but he held her tight and Tanya's red malicious eyes fell around Morgana's neck.

"Oh… well I guess you won't be needing this anymore than will you?"

Before she could even get an arm free to stop her, the girl had ripped the ruby pendant from around her throat and turned it over in her hands wickedly. Morgana stared at her horrified… she tried to scream at her, tell her to give it back but her mouth just moved silently. Tanya chuckled at her and tossed the pendant in the air a few times.

"No use in hanging onto broken dreams Morgie… or you'll end up a dried up old nothing like your father. Worthless and alone…" She threw back her head with an evil laugh. "Oh oops… you already are aren't you?" She cackled as she threw the pendant to the floor and pointed a long fingernail at it with a hissing incantation.

A crack broke through the smooth red surface and Morgana took in a sharp gasp of pain. The crack only splintered off into little veins and the gem finally crumbled. Morgana felt her strength fade and drain instantly her devastation consumed her but was unable to be voiced. Velken kept her harshly on her feet as he watched Tanya dust off her hands with a smirk.

"There, now things will be back to the way they should be." She said proudly. "I'll be back at the top of the class and you'll be in dead last right where you belong." She sneered malevolently as she approached her and took her face in her hand turning the leaking green eyes to hers. "You really thought Velken cared about you didn't you? That he was the 'one' that old brain dead diviner prattled on about… you always were stupid Morgana. This just proves it. What will daddy think of you now? First you kill his wife now you're just as useless as those normal dogs… oh isn't it wonderful how things work out?"

Morgana closed her eyes breaking down into terrible weeping but the hand held her still admiring her like a prize kill.

"Go ahead and bawl your eyes out… I've been waiting a long time for this." Tanya grinned at her.

The smile she wore, the confident arrogance in her voice and the satisfied laughter Velken erupted into chased the tears away. Her glower locked onto Tanya, the emerald eyes had never held such anger… such hatred in all her years of life. With all the strength she could muster she pushed Velken off her and steadied her quaking knees to stand on her own albeit weakly. She glared at them both as they sneered at her, her body was tingling with white hot rage and she felt it happen. Her hair fell instantly out of its style to cascade back to its preferred poker straight position and her chest welled with a strange stinging sensation. She scowled at the suddenly surprised faces before her as the dim lighting in the room around her flickered and her hands started to weave themselves through the air as her mouth began to move. Tanya's laugh came again at the sight but neither of them tried to restrain her hands from their self guided display. She felt the stinging mold and shape into a coolness that she closed her eyes to focus on. She took a deep breath and felt it sink into her lungs. Blocking out the laughter she opened her mouth and started screaming mutedly. The chill rose as her breath left her.

"You're pathetic Macabre!" Tanya scoffed. "You always were and you always will be!"

Morgana's eyes shot open as the coolness reached her mouth and flowed out into the open air. Like someone had turned a volume dial on her voice it began to return and before too long it filled the air. The earsplitting shriek wasn't a heartbroken declaration of her agony but a terrible animalistic roar. She continued to scream as she felt her magic repair her vocal cords and her hands snapped around in a sharp movement. She saw black swirls form around her fingers; the dark magic was deep and ominous as she clawed her hand through the air. She saw the fear on the faces before her and heard their screams before it all fell away into darkness as she collapsed to the floor.

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Darkwing Duck and all related characters are (c) Disney

The rest are (c) me! Christina Smith! So... nyah nyah. ;)

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Wow. I've been such a bum. And this story is like... cliff hanger city! So sorry to keep you hanging for so long only to keep you hanging again. You know... Morgana winds up blacking out a lot at the end of these chapters. Yeesh. Poor girl. Um... anyone want to form a We Hate Velken and Tanya Club? I sure do. Jerks. Anywho, thanks for reading and being so dang paitent! I hope to update this again soon!


	9. Siren's Song

_Chapter Nine_

_Siren's Song_

The world crept back over her slowly, like it was a drowning victim pulling itself up the beach and away from the waves. It was a hollow kind of sensation like emerging from a winding tunnel that had dimmed her very senses. Her ears were granted no sound yet and the first thing to greet her was the searing pain in her throat as if a tiger with claws of flame had ripped it to shreds. This was accented by the agonizing throbbing of her head. She swallowed slowly only to find it was torture, as if her saliva was laced with shards of broken glass.

"Morgana?" Ventured a familiar elderly voice apprehensively. "Don't try to speak it will only harm you further…" She wanted to open her eyes but they were so heavy… it felt as if they were swollen shut. It was probably just a side effect of this horrible pain. Greytalon's voice continued. "I am lead to believe that Mr. Vonkarumah and Ms. Spellbinder attempted to make you mute?"

The suspicion in her mentor's statement only made her chest ache and she forced her eyes open. There was a terrible moment when the world around her was nothing more than blurs and shadows until it all swirled into focus. The medical ward appeared around her lined with flickering light from the few candles fighting a losing battle to the gloom. Her eyes danced quickly around taking in the empty beds that surrounded her then the wizened headmaster who stood grimly at her bedside watching her warily. Her hand sought to clasp the ruby pendant she wore so proudly around her neck only to close around air… oh no.

"Well it would seem that if that is indeed the case... they failed to see how powerful your magic truly is. There were small traces of a highly illegal taciturn brew discovered in a goblet which of course reinforces the claim that they struck first. However distressing that may be… what has really put us all ill at ease is the permanent nature of this potion that has never been reversed has been broken by you. I'm sure you don't recall how you did it do you?"

She shook her head slowly as she watched the shadows flicker across his face from the dying candlelight. His eyes were cold, calculating, so unlike the way she was accustomed to seeing them. After a pregnant silence he nodded slowly.

"May I also assume that you have no recollection of what you have done to your opponents?"

Her breath seemed to catch in her chest and her hand tried to close tighter around the necklace that she knew was no longer there. The terror and confusion must have been written all over her face for he sighed and pawed at his temples.

"I'm afraid you've used magic that even I am unfamiliar with…" he informed her tiredly. "The curse you deployed on them is the most aggressive and unrelenting any of us have ever seen. The wounds don't want to heal… or close they just rip themselves back open again. Horrible…. Dark magic." She tried to swallow but it seemed her mouth had been filled with cement. "At this rate Ms. Spellbinder will lose her left eye and Mr. Vonkarumah..." he shook his head slowly. "…if those injuries aren't permitted to be treated I fear he'll be disfigured for as long as he lives."

Morgana could barely hear the words he was saying or her head just didn't want her to process them. This wasn't happening. This was a nightmare, one that she'd wake up screaming from… any moment now. She could still remember the malicious glitter in Tanya's eyes… the flash of teeth as Velken smiled. The memory twisted to try to imagine what she'd done to them now… Disfigured… missing an eye. Warmth started blooming the pit of her stomach as a dark voice in the silence of her head said: _**They deserved it.**_

"Morgana," The headmaster's voice pulled her out of her reverie. "I know you are aware that there are consequences for harming fellow students. The severity of the punishment will be decided by the Council of the Elders… for each of you."

"Me? But-" She croaked.

"Don't speak." He snapped coldly. "Through whatever magic you possess your vocal cords have mended themselves but they are still weak. If you strain then they will snap and we'll see if you can bend the laws of enchantment a second time." Her mouth closed dejectedly as she felt tears sting her eyes. "I believe a suspension until you appear before the Council will accommodate your body enough time to heal, I suspect you'll have a lot of explaining to do."

Disbelief swelled inside her like an oversaturated sponge. It wasn't fair. She didn't know what she did… but they attacked her! Was she just supposed to take their punishment? If she hadn't retaliated what then? Would they be the ones being treated like a criminal? Like a bomb that had been defused a moment too late? It was then she realized the tears burning in her eyes… were birthed from anger.

"I had hoped you wouldn't abuse your gift…" The headmaster admitted with a remorseful sigh. "I could sense this potential in you and when you harvested it I knew there was a chance something like this could happen. I just reassured myself that you'd gain more control before it got out of hand. I never thought that-" he interrupted himself with an irritated growl. "-that insufferable temper of your father's would be passed onto you." She felt the first tear glide down her face as she gnashed her teeth lividly. His old eyes focused on her. "You think I'm being unfair don't you? If you knew what I'd been advised to do you'd think differently. There is an angry mob in my office screaming for your expulsion from this school… your incarceration. I have been able to deny them, at this point the only redemption they can see is that you were provoked. So I suggest while you boil over and seethe about your suspension I suggest you take a look at what your magic has done to the children of your family's rivals. Take a look at them… and the risk I am taking in protecting you, when it looks like a bitter out lash reminiscent of the Clan Wars that litter your ancestor's lives. The only thing I can be grateful for at the moment is you do not possess the infamous Macabre blood lust… " He blinked slowly. "Speaking of which, your father is on his way and will no doubt be with you shortly. I must meet with the Spellbinders before they take matters into their own hands." Without so much as a final glance or a comforting pat Greytalon left.

The candlelight flickered as the silence fell around her like a thick curtain and she closed her eyes choking back the tears. Her slender fingers still felt helplessly along her throat for the pendant she knew had been shattered into a million pieces. She wanted to cry… to sob her eyes out but she refused to let herself. They had been so cruel to her, why? Why would they do this? It was their fault wasn't it? Was being popular so important to Tanya? Did she really hate her so much that she was going to willingly handicap her for the rest of her life… and now she had to endure that fate in her place? But no matter how wicked the girl had been he had been so much more. Her sore throat threatened to close as she thought back over the moments she'd shared with Velken that she had held so precious. It was all a lie, a trick, a twisted game to win her confidence just to strike her down… He lead her along like the fool she was, making her believe he was the one she was destined for… he had her heart in his hand and he destroyed it. Now maybe his face reflected the person he was inside. She shivered, she didn't like feeling like this, thinking this way.

Her eyes closed tighter and tried to focus on something else. What she found hardly made her feel better. The magic that she had been so blessed with was barely even a shadow of what it had been. She could still recall the blissful tingling warmth that it used to grace her with, now it was replaced with a hollow chill. The breaking of her ruby had devastated her hold on the power. Some of it still had to be intact, she reassured herself. If it had been destroyed completely she wouldn't feel the very dregs of the magic left in her fingers. As long as she had a connection with her source she would at least be able to cast some of the spells she'd worked so hard to perfect.

An idea washed over her thoughts pulling her away from dark deeds that had brought her here. There was no way she'd be as strong has she had been, not with a damaged talisman. The magic that had been sealed inside to capture the essence of her source would have faltered… dispersing some of the energy she'd come to rely so heavily on. Knowing that she'd be weaker, maybe even to the point she had been as a child was almost unbearable. There was a time once, when a magic user would be encouraged to seek out their mystical source. In ancient times it was a rite of passage, a test to decide the new members of the Council of Elders. Of course this was long before the Normals became so dangerous. Even then most considered it a perilous and hopeless quest. There were just so many possibilities of ways a source could manifest. One wizard found his has a single silver hair on a gryphon, while a witch of much higher caliber than her had spent her entire life searching only to die with nothing but a legacy of defeat to define her. It was finally decided eight hundred years ago that the rite should no longer be practiced. The world had changed so vastly that the chances of finding the source were astronomical. Wizards and Witches gave up their fruitless searches and were not too keen to allow their children to pursue an old world custom that could claim their lives. So politics and bloodlines began to rule instead. As a substitute to sending their children out into the harsh dangerous world, the community decided to replace the quest with a celebration on their spawn's graduation from their primary academy. She had been hoping to have a splendid party of her own when she finally got to the end of her schooling. Now, as she lay still in the hard medical ward's bed bathed in darkness, she knew that would never happen. But, lingering on the memory of the strength she had been robbed of by someone else's hand the option of finding her source and reclaiming it sounded so tempting. She was by no means worldly. Her experience with the world beyond the ghoulish community was nonexistent. The thought of venturing out among the barbaric Normals who had brutally murdered her kind for years petrified her. But the lure of finding her source, of being strong again, it was like a siren's song that wouldn't be quelled. The air in the room seemed to lose its morbid thickness as it was disturbed by someone entering the ward.

"…daddy?" Her mutilated voice asked hopefully.

"Don't speak." Answered Moloculo as the ghoul's long digits closed around her hand. A metal ring slid onto her finger and the world seemed to release its debilitating hold on her. The swollen ache of her eyes faded and she opened them to look at the red jeweled ring that had been placed on her hand. It was her ruby… what was left of it anyway. Her father's touch brushed the strands of hair away from her face as she kept her gaze on the ring, she couldn't bring herself to look at him just yet. "You're lucky they didn't break it properly, the pieces were large enough to salvage."

She blinked slowly and moved her eyes to his only to be startled by the anger in his stare.

"I told you I didn't trust that boy." He growled lowly. "A snake. Just like his father… one I warned you about. Why didn't you listen I wonder?"

"You think I'm not sorry?" She retorted in outrage, her mangled voice filling the room so strangely. "Look at what they tried to do to me!"

"You should see what you did to them! I don't know what demon you conjured but those wounds refuse to be healed no mater what they throw at them. They're accusing us of delving into forbidden magic Morgana, they think I've taught it to you. There is a horde out there demanding you be banned from using magic for the rest of your life!"

"**But they deserved it**!"

His eyes flashed and he clamped his hand over her mouth with a quick look back at the door. There was no one there and he leaned in to her his red eye ablaze with fury.

"Don't you _ever_ breathe that sentence again Morgana Macabre." He hissed.

She pulled out of his grip and opened her mouth to retaliate when he barked an incantation and her bill sealed itself shut. Her hands tried to pry it open to no avail before she fixed him with a hard glare.

"Stop speaking. For your sake and mine." He scowled as he took her by the arm and forced her to her feet. She wanted to fiercely to pull out of his grasp but she really did need his help. Her legs felt like jelly and she would have surely collapsed if not for his hold on her. So she let him steer her out of the medical ward unable to do anything but glare at the flagstones harshly.

As the Macabres moved through the school toward the exit she noticed he was taking the side halls to avoid the busier parts of the building. Angry and frightened voices bounced off the high walls but lost their messages by the time they reached them. They passed a few people who shrunk against the wall with apprehensive stares at her or cold glares. It was like she was like a beast now, a creature that had lashed out at its master and was on its way to be euthanized before she killed again. It wasn't just the faculty they passed that echoed this behavior. Every face, student, parent, staff… changed when she glanced at them. A crowd had formed around the nurse's office and she could hear someone screaming in agony. It made her blood freeze. As they passed, the crowd linked themselves closer together as if to deny her entrance to the room. Her eyes flitted past the sick looking faces to the room beyond to see a discarded pile of blood soaked bandages. Someone crying Tanya's name carried to her ears and she lowered her eyes as the doorway was removed from her line of vision.

The school deposited them outside through a side exit where Moloculo's carriage sat at the ready. It was a secluded part of the grounds where no one else lingered. She could hear the distant fervor of panicking scandalized voices from the main entrance. So, she was no better than a criminal they all hoped to get a look at before she was carted off? Did they think she would be coated in blood? That her eyes would be demonic and her head spinning in complete circles on her shoulders? Moloculo opened the door for her and hurried her along. Her pace was slow and wickedly calm as she numbly climbed into the compartment without a backwards glance. She refused to feel guilty. They deserved it.

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Darkwing Duck and all related characters are (c) Disney

The rest are (c) me ...the bastards

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Oh poor Morgana... life's just not fair is it? Sorry this took me forever to get up. I have no excuse.


	10. Normals

**Chapter Ten**

**Normals**

In the days that followed what was supposed to be the most wonderful night of her life, it was as if the entire world was against her. The sky was dark and rain would pound against the windows of the castle. She greeted the passing of time from her bed waking sporadically in cold sweats and trembling. Her body was starved for sleep, for the magic that she'd been robbed of, and her throat was healing with all the soothing care of salt in a wound. The doctor had come to check on her a few times and her familiars never left her side… her father on the other hand avoided her completely. Which was perfectly alright by her, she had decided she would refuse to speak to him even if he did come to her. After all, he had requested her to stop speaking so she was only obeying him wasn't she? The new found bitterness for every single aspect of her life was ever present like a sour coating on her tongue. Nothing was ever going to be the same; the life she'd worked so hard for had crumbled so completely. Her future was no doubt being decided for her by a council of elders at this very moment. She could almost hear their arguments in her head, vying for her expulsion, perhaps even petitioning that she be forbidden to practice magic, while the poor Spellbinder and Vonkarumahs were no doubt being coddled and appeased with scholarships. Angry tears stung her eyes whenever these thoughts would plague her and she'd bury her face in her pillow blocking out everything but the sound of the pounding rain.

There had been some hope in her that this whole sordid ordeal would reveal to her who her real friends were. The precious few who really loved her and would stand by her no matter what stood before her and it had. The outcome, however, was not one she had expected. The days passed without a single visitor, nor a note wishing her well. Even the girls whom she had dubbed her best of friends remained silent. Were they too afraid or ashamed to speak to her? Were their parents insistent that they avoid her at all costs? Whatever the reasons it was painfully clear to her that no one would come to in her exile to ease her loneliness. She was back to where she had begun… Eek, Squeak, and Archie were the only friends she had left to her name.

Once her body had healed enough to where it wasn't excruciating to be vertical for extended periods of time, she would dim her misery by wandering the castle. She had no idea where her father was during these times but he would often not return until it was nearly midnight. She noticed this with only meager shreds of interest, as he regarded her with a harsh scrutinizing silence whenever their paths would briefly cross. It was only a matter of days before the isolation and confinement began to settle in. In a desperate attempt to seek peace from her thoughts and aches she took to walking the grounds. The castle was set on a hill; the surrounding turf was strangled with weeds and barbs, trees and thickets. In an effort to shield herself from the dank weather she wore a lovely dark red velvet traveling cloak, the hood protecting her from the chill that seemed to seep through regardless of its inherit warmth. Her feet would slide through the narrow beaten paths to the outer stretches of the property lines. She would walk until the castle was nothing more than a foreboding shadow in the distance. There was a worn stump in a small clearing that quickly became her usual retreat. Often she would bring books to help her pass the daylight hours, while other times she'd prefer to sit and let her mind wander up the branches and into the clouds.

One cold afternoon her mind would not be lifted from the thoughts that had only increasingly haunted her since the moment she opened her eyes each morning. The air was laced with a brisk chill that her familiars dared not to brave, but it could not compare to the coldness that stemmed from her heart. Her dreams had been hindered with horrific visions of what mutilations she might have inflicted on the two most popular faces in her class. They had woken her with a queasy illness swimming inside her with their grotesque features but… not a shred of remorse stung her soul. She knew that she ought to feel some sort of compassion… but there just didn't seem to be any just cause for it. Her life had given her plenty of moments to be as petty and unkind to them as they had so often been to her. She always rose above them, not sinking to their level and returning their animosity with kindness. A kindness that was rewarded with this, the thought caused a scowl to form on her face. Tanya had told her she was stupid… maybe she was right. Her musing was interrupted when a scream ripped through the still air. In a wave of panic and fear she shot to her feet. It only occurred to her now how close she had wandered to the end of the Macabre territory… she was practically on Normal soil. Her heart was pounding as all she'd learned about the savages tore through her head at once. Burning witches, mutilating monsters that had strayed, brutally murdering anything that was not like them… and here she was. Alone. The silence that followed the initial scream was eventually filled with painful shrieks. Her wits finally started settling and she remembered that her father had set traps to keep them at bay. The agonized sounds could only mean that a Normal had wandered too far and had triggered one. She would have to tell him that one had been sprung, and her feet started back toward the castle but stopped after only a few steps. That would mean she would have to speak to him. Her pride was far from mended and the thought of the condescending look he would no doubt give her only made her fear diminish. The screams degraded into excruciating cries for help and the sound cut through her inhibitions. It was a helpless noise, one that broke her heart. She was still a witch, there were powers at her disposal to protect her, what should she fear from a trapped creature that had unwittingly trapped itself? Her mind made up she went to inspect the poor creature.

Delicately pushing through the bare branches she sought out a being she had only read about. It was a terrible idea, she told herself, but there was no helping it. She was here now and as she neared a small clearing she could see something thrashing a stick around wildly. The Normal was swatting at a large piece of metal with great fangs that had clamped around it's leg. It was a boogeyman trap, but it apparently was not picky in what use it was deployed. Her hand pushed the last branch out of her face as a dry twig beneath her foot snapped and something happened that caused her to seize up completely. He looked at her… and he was beautiful.

The creature was a mallard looking to be no older than she was. His feathers were a lovely copper brown, a crown of auburn curls sat on his head and dark brown eyes stared at her wide with enchantment and fear. Working up her courage she cautiously approached him, he didn't seem dangerous. So many warnings, and defensive lessons swarmed her mind but seemed so alien to her. This wasn't the face of a killer. This wasn't the face of a savage. So… this was a Normal? She moved across the withered grass smoothly and her gaze fell to the cruel contraption that had clamped on his foot. The fangs had been stopped by the thick leather of his boots, she could see no blood. She secretly wondered what color they bled. After a careful moment she made up her mind and started to open the trap.

"What are you doing?!"

She paused and looked up at the panicked face. They'd been taught that Normals could speak deceptively well… that was what had caught so many ghouls off guard, what had lead to their destruction. But there was terror in his eyes as he continued.

"You've got to go! You've got to get out of here! If the beast finds you here it will kill us both!" He raked a shaking hand through his hair as his eyes glazed over slightly. "Un…unless I'm… already dead. That's it isn't it?" He looked at her intently. "I'm dead… and you're an angel."

Her brow furrowed in stunned thought.

"An angel?" She repeated numbly as she managed to disarm the trap, the mass of metal releasing it's hold on him which resulted in him collapsing to sit on the ruined flora.

"Aren't you?" He asked her uncertainly as he painfully rubbed feeling back into his leg.

"I'm quite certain I'm not." She responded warily.

"Then… I've got to be dreaming."

"Afraid not." She smiled despite herself.

"You're right… there's no pain in dreams." He grunted as he used a nearby tree branch to pull himself up to his feet and tested his strength. "We've got to get out of here quick." He held his hand out to her purposefully, she blinked at it for moment before she got to her feet on her own.

"Why?" She inquired suspiciously.

"_Why_?" He repeated in shock. "Don't you know where we are?! Didn't your parents ever tell you about the beast that roams these woods? I thought everyone knew about that… The monster and the woman… I thought you were the ghost of that woman when I saw you… that's why I …" he shook his head. "Whether you know the story or not we've got to go."

"I'll be alright." She protested lightly but the exasperated look he greeted her with made her shrink slightly.

"You're not from around here are you?" he said tiredly but there was a certain spark of awe in his dark eyes. "Most girls are terrified of this place… what's your name?"

She felt his hand take hers the warmth in his fingers making the ice surrounding her heart melt ever so slightly.

"…Morgana."

"That's a beautiful name." He smiled lightly. "I'm Valeriu… but everyone calls me Vali. You saved my life Morgana…"

"I… did?"

"Promise me you won't get hurt out here? Don't let the beast run off with you, I'd very much like to see you again." His voice was lined with a sincere sweetness that made her heart flutter.

"O-okay." She stuttered meekly.

The boy was at least two heads taller than her when he stood at his full height so he had to lean down to place a kiss on her cheek. She felt her face twinge red before he released her hand and gave her a thoughtful stare before he began his retreat for the Normal village that lie beyond the other side of the wood. A soft breeze swirled her cloak around her as she stared after the boy who had called her an angel long after he had vanished from sight.

When she thought on it later, she was uncertain how she had managed to find her way back to the castle at all. Her mind was dancing with his face and her cheeks still warm from his gentle kiss. Vali, she wondered what his last name was… wondered if Normals even had last names. She was in such a dream like state she forgot to be terribly rude to her father when she had discovered him home. She forgot a lot of other things as well… namely the faces from her nightmares and the sting of their cruelness. There was barely a moment where she could concentrate and she refused to tell her familiars one breath of what had happened. They were worse than any governess when it came to their constant fretting… and she knew they might try to inform her father of what had occurred. This secret was hers and she intended to keep it. As she watched the sun set over the distant trees from her bedroom window she made a decision. She had to see him again. Anyone who haunted her as diligently as he did deserved another encounter. There was no deterring her from this choice as she slid into bed that evening, the words of the reading that had never been far from her thoughts echoed through them once more.

_It will come when you stop believing, when you least expect it..._

She awoke with the sun the following morning, unable to rest fully knowing the reckless decision she had made the night before. The urge had not faded and in fact only burned more intensely in the light of a new day. When she had made her way downstairs she was surprised to find her father milling around… and from the look he gave her he must have felt the same. Fear bubbled inside her, what if he had figured her out? What if he wasn't going to leave today? Would she be able to sneak out and hide her intentions from him? Her panic was eased when he informed her drolly that he was to be detained in meetings with the council for the remainder of the day. She could barely contain her relief at this news. He wouldn't follow her; he wouldn't bar her up in her room for conversing with the enemy. Her resolve wavered when she watched her father busy himself; he believed Normals to be dangerous… and they very well must be for they had killed her mother. She knew that… but… Vali? She could not imagine him hurting anyone, not with such warm and soft hands… with those beautiful eyes.

The moment Moloculo had left she had retreated to her room to make herself look as beautiful as she could muster. It was far more difficult to tame her hair with her limited magic… and she was certain walking through the woods in a gown the likes she had worn to the dance would only result in tearing it to shreds. Besides… that was not what she wanted to look like. He had called her an Angel… and in return for this along with the kiss that still made her heart dance; she desperately wanted to look the part.

It was nearly noon when she threw on her red cloak and left her familiars baffled in her wake. She just couldn't tell them… as much as she wanted to confide in someone… there was no way she could avoid feeling horrible about the idea. In essence she was pursuing the affections of who very well could be the son of a person who had taken her mother from this world. But her heart would not let her dwell on this; its giddy frantic beating overpowered everything else as she raced across the grounds. He didn't know her, he didn't care if she could use magic well or not, he didn't know what she'd done at school, he wasn't going to be swayed by bloodlines , or those who had wronged her… he was a clean slate. She wanted to have him look at her the way he had yesterday… like he wished the world might stop just so he could look at her as long as he wanted. Her feet stopped and she realized she had reached the boundary of the land. It was like standing at the threshold of a new world. If she went there she ran the risk of being killed as countless other ghouls had been and if she survived she would have to deal with keeping it a secret from her father. The air was accented with joyful cries and the bustling of the mysterious world before her, while nothing but silence pressed in behind her. She swallowed hard and with a silent prayer to her mother to protect her, crossed into unknown territory.

The street she had found was not made of cobbles nor any stone she had ever seen. It was more of an ebony river of ice with streaks of yellow separating it into parts. The carriages that passed her seemed to be self propelled and she didn't see a reign in sight. The faces that passed her were so very pleasant in appearance. She couldn't help but notice that they were all so kind looking despite whatever emotions they were displaying. She had never seen Normals so close before, and compared to the ghoulish community even a frown was nowhere near as harsh as the ones she had received from her classmates. Heads turned as she nervously strode by, and she resulted to pulling her cloak closer around her face. She hadn't really thought this out. She didn't know where he lived, or even where to begin to try find him... every pair of eyes took her in wolfishly and the buildings around her seemed to be closing in. All she could do was choke back her panic and push ahead. Her ruby was firmly set on her hand if she ran into trouble she war from defenseless, she told herself. But how many witches had thought the same thing before they were burned alive? Her eyes searched the sea of similar and amicable faces desperately for a curl of auburn or deep brown eyes. She wanted to scream out his name as her hands began to tremble with anxiety as the street poured out into an open square packed with people. It was a market of some kind and she was jostled and shoved on all sides. Unable to think clearly she closed her eyes and tried to breathe. She had made a mistake. She should turn back now…

"M-Morgana?" Asked a stunned voice, its handsome familiar tone making her terror vanish.

Her eyes shot open and after a moment of searching they found him by an ornate fountain of great lions. There was a group of people with him, a few boys were staring at her strangely and several girls narrowed their eyes. Vali had pushed his way over to her and seized her hands with a warm smile that engulfed his entire face.

"Oh wow, I'm so glad you're here! I was almost sure I had dreamt the whole thing, but the bruises were still there when I checked and I was just tellin' the guys-" He had a tendency to ramble it appeared but she far from minded when his hands so protectively held hers. She got lost in the sound of his voice as he rattled on and on until he blinked and realized what he'd been doing. "I'm so happy you're okay… uh what are you doing here?'

"I…" She gazed into his eyes. "I wanted to sure you were safe as well."

His grin widened and her mouth went dry as he lifted her hand to his bill and graced it with a tender kiss that sent the blush to her cheeks once more.

"I want to take you out for lunch. Have you eaten already?" He asked and she could barely find the strength to shake her head.

He was looking at her like she was the only person in the world. His eyes admiring her face and it was obvious he was not disappointed. It was only a matter of seconds before he was speaking feverishly again, his hand holding hers and leading her through the winding mass of people confidently. There was not even an ounce of fear in her, she was safe here with him. There would be nothing that would approach her that he wouldn't protect her from, she was certain. As the streets passed and the crowds differed she strained to follow his chatter. He was currently detailing something about a game he had seen… something called Sock-Kor. She didn't know what it was but it sounded painful. As the crowds withered and dispersed they approached a small little building which he shepherded her into. The cozy little place was outfitted in wood and no grand portraits of ancestors were on the wall. Instead there were paintings of landscapes and images of Normals of all shapes, sizes and ages. Vali pulled out a chair for her to sit in and she obliged with a coy smile. When she was presented with the menu she could only stare at the words in front of her… were they real? She could read them but it was like gibberish. Why would Normals eat pigs wrapped in blankets? What warranted a dog to be considered "hot"? Her eyes traveled to her companion who was watching her curiously.

"…do you want me to order for you?" He offered with a sheepish grin and she nodded quickly.

Normal cuisine was so very different. It was as far away from anything she had ever eaten than it could get but… it was far from unpleasant. She had to restrain herself from sampling what Vali had ordered. He didn't notice her prying stare at his meal as he was talking constantly again. He seemed very taken with the idea about speaking about whatever came to mind, and about his himself. She took it all in like a sponge, she wanted to learn everything about him. He was fascinating, granted she had no idea what he was discussing half the time but the richness and soothing sound of his voice was simply beautiful to listen to. After a while of staring he let her sample his "fries" with a thick red substance that was named with something to do with cats. This all just reinforced what she had already suspected. Normals were not as evil as her father had made them out to be, nor as blood thirsty as she had been taught at school. Especially this one. The depths of his eyes hinted at emotions she'd only imagined she'd seen in Velken's, his face was only more handsome when he smiled, and he was smiling a lot.

After she had had finished her curiosity driven meal and he had rested in his speech did her eyes move to the windows and see how the streets had darkened. Her heart sunk instantly. She didn't know when her father would return to the castle and if he knew where she'd spent the day… well she didn't want to think of the consequences. When her gaze settled back on the boy she found he was looking at her knowingly and offered to take her home. While she followed him through the streets once more he began talking about himself again but her nervous heart was beating too loudly to even hear him. The sun was close to setting. A firm hand coiled around hers and her eyes darted up to lock with his as the unease vanished once again.

"I just realized… I don't know where you live Morgana. I was just taking you back to the woods… but you can't really live there can you?" He laughed.

"Uh… well…"

"I mean you really shouldn't be wandering in the woods or the Macabre monster might eat you."

The sound of her name planted her feet to the pavement and he stopped short so not to pull her off balance. Vali flashed her an apologetic smile.

"I didn't mean to scare you angel…"

"What do you mean Macabre monster?" She asked firmly.

"Well it's some kind of horrible beast that lives in the big castle on the other side of the woods. It sets those traps to catch victims, it's meals. No one is really sure where it came from but it's been around for a long time. People say it likes to take beautiful girls and keep them captive in his horrible lair. The story goes… well like I said when you saved me I thought you were the ghost of a woman the monster had taken and had escaped…"

"Who was she?"

"No one knows. She was probably from a caravan the thing killed that wandered too close to the boundaries. A woodsman found her in the monster's woods and she was dying. He brought her back to the town to try to help her but there didn't seem to be a mark on her. The monster had put some horrible curse on her they said… People say that she was the most beautiful woman they'd ever seen … some even think she was a princess of some kind that the monster had kept in a cage just so it could look at her. He probably wanted to look at her forever so he put a curse on her that if she left his ruin of a castle she'd die, hoping that she'd stay. But he must have been so terrible and wicked that she couldn't stand it anymore and chose death instead. Actually… she died in that house right there." His finger glided to an inconspicuous building nearby. She fought back her tears and he continued on with his tale not even noticing. "Then it came. Enraged by her escape the monster came and killed anyone it saw."

"No..." She breathed.

"That part is true. The beast killed at least a quarter of the town, the proof's at the cemetery. It still comes back sometimes… usually on the same night the woman died. "

"This… this isn't true." She said determinedly swallowing her tears and he smiled at her warmly.

"You really are different Morgana, most girls would have fainted hearing that story."

"That's all it is, right? A story?" Her eyes locked on his hopefully.

"No…" he slid his hand through her hair sadly. "You saw the traps yourself remember? Listen, why don't you stay with me and my folks tonight? I really don't want you going into those woods at night..."

"I really can't. I must get back…"

He pulled her into his arms and she felt her face redden once more.

"There's no way to make you reconsider?"

"I… can't."

"Then I want to see you off with at least a little light." He whispered softly as his face leaned toward hers.

"T-the sun is almost set…"

"Well…then there isn't a moment to waste."

His bill met hers in a kiss.

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Darkwing Duck and all related characters are © Disney

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…I'll let you know that I am currently holding back a Darkwing who is foaming at the mouth. But he's just gotta be patient there's still a ways to go until he shows up. Better get your kisses in now boys. ;D

Well… this chapter is more of a personal accomplishment. I really wanted to explore how different the two worlds are that Morgana ultimately has to choose between. I would have liked to go into this more but… it would have dragged down the already lethargic pace of this chapter. And I really did not plan on giving love interest #2 another "V" name. It just happened to be a Romanian name I liked. …hopefully it won't be too confusing.

…I really would like to get this updated more because there are tie-ins to future chapters of Trails of the Hero all up in this piece. So… hopefully you're all still willing to bear with me here…

Thanks for reading!


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